COP26: In conclusion

The gavel has come down, and COP26 has now concluded. The ink has dried on the Glasgow Climate Pact with a final text that moves forwards on some issues but stalls over others. While there have been major announcements over the past two weeks, there are many who would say that there have not been enough, and it is clear that the threat of catastrophic climate change still looms large over us all. Many questions remain. Is 1.5 degrees still in reach? Did our leaders lead? Was it all blah, blah, blah?

Here at Wild Planet Trust we are conservation optimists. We recognise important steps forwards on many of the issues that matter, but we also know that there remains much still to do. We know that every action matters. We know that we need to work together to help halt species decline and to live in harmony with nature.

If you’d like to do more to help protect nature and the environment, remember two words: choice and voice. As an individual, you can make a choice about the things you do. You can choose to make changes to your behaviour, to your daily life and to the things you buy, and these choices can have a positive impact on the environment. You can also use your voice and tell people about what you are doing and why it matters. Use that voice to tell our leaders and politicians that we need to do more and to demand further change. Be a voice for nature. In a world where every species is special and everything is connected, a voice for nature is a voice for us all.