Special Climate Series: The Road to COP26

The Road to COP26 is a series of short essays from amazing people in our Planet Forward community. 

Some of these authors are attending COP. Some aren't. Some have high hopes for progress and success. Some are... less optimistic about the potential success of the proceedings.

But they all are goal-oriented. And we all ultimately want to see solutions — plans for action, deals made, achievable targets set.

Let's see what they have to say. Follow along here with new posts daily, leading up to COP 26, which runs Oct. 31 through Nov. 12.

Tags: 
cop26, glasgow, climate change, Climate Change Agreement, climate policy
How do you move the Planet Forward? Tweet us @planet_forward or contribute to the conversation with your own story.

Hub Content

Essay | The climate is changing, and so must we
Silhouette of a woman waving a scarf in the sky against the backdrop of a cloudy sky at sunset.

(Image by Anant Sharma/Pixabay)

Francesca Edralin
George Washington University
The Road to COP26 |  I hope decision makers will finally hear and amplify the voices of those most affected by the climate crisis—from coastal communities to youth activists to Indigenous environmental defenders.
Essay | High hopes for COP26: Solving the triple crises of climate, biodiversity, and inequality

As of 2020, the population of piping plovers has improved after being protected under the Endangered Species Act in 1986. (Mathew Schwartz/Unsplash)

Mark C. Urban
Professor, University of Connecticut
The Road to COP26 | The students who join us at COP26 have enthusiasm and determination that are contagious. We'll be looking for "win-win-win solutions at COP26 that can address all three crises."
Essay | COP26 will bring conservative climate action to the world stage

(Adam Bouse/Unsplash)

Benji Backer
President, American Conservation Coalition
The Road to COP26 | At COP26, the American Conservation Coalition will host the first-ever Global Conservative Climate Summit, showcasing conservative leadership on environmental issues.
Essay | Enough broken promises. Will leaders at COP26 keep their word?
In a crowd of people in front of the Capitol building in Washington, D.C., a sign reads: "Planet BEFORE Profit: change the politics, not the CLIMATE!"

Protesters at a 2019 climate march in Washington, D.C. (Victoria Middleton/Planet Forward)

Victoria Middleton
Digital Editor, Planet Forward
The Road to COP26 | You often hear conversations about how to convert climate change deniers into science believers. Yet I don’t see a cultural struggle for “hearts and minds,” but a material struggle for power.
Essay | Connecting a college campus to COP26
Glasgow university, with a distinctive central spire, is seen from the air, with a cluster of trees turning autumnal colors in the foreground

As researchers, we're focused on how to connect our university to our local communities. How might Glasgow University, shown here, connect with the community around it? (Ian Dick/Flickr/Creative Commons 2.0)

Robert Orttung
Research Director for Sustainable GW | George Washington University
The Road to COP26 | As student and faculty representatives at COP26, GW senior Jane Barkholz and Dr. Robert Orttung aim to connect the university to the broader community taking action to address climate change.
Q&A | Science to Inform: ‘A level of grit and resolve by everyone’

(Jon Tyson/Unsplash)

Michelle Wyman
Executive Director, Global Council for Science and the Environment
The Road to COP26 | The head of the Global Council for Science and the Environment is going to COP26 to ensure that science is included in "deliberations, negotiations, and decisions that are rigorous and durable."
Essays | The climate crisis calls for market-based solutions
Foaming tide upon a sandy shore.

Cayo Costa Island, Florida (James St. John/Flickr).

Luke Strominger
American Conservation Coalition
The Road to COP26 | There is not a one-size-fits-all solution to climate change. That’s why we need a market-based, innovative approach that focuses on issues in a local context.
Essay | We must 'embrace impatience' while looking for climate change solutions

(Tuna Ölger/Pixabay)

Mark Lichtenstein
SUNY-ESF Chief Sustainability Officer
The Road to COP26 | "It was with resolve that I started to work on climate-related issues, although I didn’t know at the time I was focused on what was an emerging existential crisis."
Essay | Looking toward clean energy on the road to COP26

(Narupon Promvichai/Pixabay)

Beth Viola
Planet Forward Advisory Council | Holland & Knight
The Road to COP26 | Despite the challenging circumstances, continuing these international climate change negotiations remains essential to move the planet forward — and this COP meeting will be an important one.
Essay | The Road to COP26: Can we prevent this planetary high-stakes thriller from turning tragic?

(Renzo D'souza/Unsplash)

Frank Sesno
Founding Director, Planet Forward
The stories we tell matter. They can bring us together or tear us apart. The stories that come from Glasgow will inevitably highlight conflict and tension, setback and adversity. But it’s vital to find the subplots that reveal solutions, too.