COP26

Cambridge Zero Director Professor Emily Shuckburgh and other Friends of COP26 have written to UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak urging him to deliver on the UK Government's pledges at Glasgow, citing a deep concern for his government’s "lackadaisical approach to international climate, nature, and environment issues."

As COP15 draws to a close with a deal we invited Cambridge Climate Society President, Laura Lock, to reflect on her experiences at COP27.

The building sector is one of the most important and challenging to decarbonise because it involves a complex overlap of people, places and practices that creates a barrier to designing just emission reduction policies. In a new study led by Cambridge Zero Fellow Ramit Debnath, researchers found that social media engagement with climate policy events is vital to reducing building emissions and ensuring environmental justice.

Across the November fortnight in Glasgow, a plethora of those from the Cambridge community contributed to a diverse array of COP26 events and initiatives, reflective of Cambridge’s strength in breadth and depth. Here we round up just some of the many events the University of Cambridge was involved in.

Over the course of a November fortnight, Cambridge students were among the strong Youth contingent which descended on Glasgow for the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP26. Of those in attendance, a sample have spoken to Cambridge Zero about their experiences, sharing their reflections on the conference and the final agreement.

Dr Joanna Depledge, expert in international climate change negotiations, unpicks the intricate global politics which underlined COP26 in Glasgow.

The People’s summit for Climate Justice in Glasgow was attended by Cambridge Student Maryam Grassley who has fed back the poignant quotes which moved her from the range of talks and discussions.

On COP26’s impromptu Saturday, an agreement was made by the parties. Friederike Hartz stayed in Glasgow and caught almost all interventions, including an emotional plea from Tuvalu’s representative, emphasising the agreement’s human impact by showing his grandchildren.

On COP26’s final Friday, pressure mounted for parties to reach an agreement. Friederike Hartz reports on the presidency’s informal stocktaking and the people’s plenary which discussed transparency and inclusivity problems.

On the penultimate day of COP26, negotiations were ongoing and issues like finance proved difficult. Read the highlights alongside on the ground reporting from Friederike Hartz.

A round up of week two’s Tuesday and Wednesday negotiation developments, and Cambridge’s involvement ranging from COPTV to students attending the Presidency event and updating on China’s energy transformation.

A round-up of highlights and reports from Cambridge on the Ground at COP26 on Adaptation, loss and damage day. Here from Friederike Hartz about her first day at COP26, and read about Cambridge Zero's Arctic Basecamp event.

In an incredibly busy Friday and weekend at #COP26, many Cambridge academics and students alike were involved and have fed back their insights! Read here highlights, two politics lecturers protests commentary and see two student’s photos from taking part!

My personal view would be “so far so good”. In fact, I would venture even further, and say that COP 26 has exceeded my (admittedly low) expectations. Perhaps it’s because I am following the Conference from the comfort of my home office, and haven’t been frustrated by queues, restricted access, the threat of Covid, and poorly functioning online systems. But I detect a positive buzz and – dare I say it – a sense of cautious optimism among many, especially veterans of the process.

Young people, families with little children, teachers with groups of students, the elderly, representatives of indigenous communities… Climate marches are no longer a scream from the youth, traditionally viewed as less-risk averse, more innovative, impulsive, eager or even rebellious. The Climate March that we have seen this morning 6th of November in Glasgow is an example of that.

In the evening of November 4 (“Energy Day”) in the COP26 UK Pavilion, researchers from the project on the Economics of Energy Innovation and System Transition (EEIST) presented the new flagship report on “The New Economics of Innovation and Transition: Evaluating Risks and opportunities”. The report, which has 28 authors, was led by Prof. Michael Grubb (UCL) and has seven authors from Cambridge's Centre for Environment, Energy and Natural Resource Governance.

COP26’s energy day proved to be suitably explosive in its announcements! To help you make sense of all day 5’s news, read the highlights alongside on-the-ground thoughts from Cambridge’s Dr Sam Strands. We also include insightful comments highlighting the need for regional nuance when discussing Energy at COP26 from Dr Sam Short and Dr Ryan Nehring.

Cambridge Zero has been working with Green Officers around Cambridge to support them in streaming COP26 Green Zone Events. An exciting and broad range of events have been chosen, engaging students with the historic conference.

We wrap up the the pledges and commitments from day 3 of COP26, alongside commentary from Emily Shuckburgh and student Rosa Posser’s thoughts and feelings for her COP26 attendance!

ActNowFilm – an official COP26 Universities Network project - will be shown in the Green Zone at COP26. ActNowFilm was produced by student volunteers, Cambridge Zero and the University of Bath Institute for Policy Research (IPR), in partnership with GAUC. It showcases the views of 16-30 year olds, and is drawn from films submitted by over 140 young people from 32 countries.

This summer, Cambridge Zero’s Rosa Prosser produced six short films which showcase current and future careers necessary to achieve net-zero by 2050. With COP26 and associated protests ongoing in Glasgow, it is clear a green recovery is necessary, and that young people are motivated to be a part of it. Providing the right information is pivotal to ensuring those at the beginning of their careers feel empowered to make their employment contribute to tackling the climate crisis.

After a busy COP26 day 2, read highlights from world leaders' statements and negotiations. Also, hear Cambridge’s Professor Laura Diaz Anadon’s thoughts on the opening ceremony.

A series of briefs written by the US-UK Youth Coalition on Climate Policy offers insights on UK and US shared interests. The authors, including Cambridge Marshall scholars, produced recommendations for the US and UK at COP26 and beyond, spanning domestic and international policymaking. Across themes of global security, lands and ecosystems, just energy transitions, and youth mental health, these include recommendations for adapting to and mitigating climate change within COP26 negotiations.

The ‘Futures We Want’ project - coordinated by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), Deloitte, and Cambridge Zero - brought together teams from around the world and across disciplines to develop ideas for feasible, desirable futures to present at the upcoming COP26 climate conference. Hear about the eight Cambridge-based postdocs' experiences of being involved in the process.