Summarizing the COP26 and its ramifications in the Indian Context

Category: Academics

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), signed in 1992, was the first treaty that formalized international cooperation in combating climate change. UNFCCC was initially extended through the Kyoto Protocol, which was superseded by the Paris Agreement completely in 2020. In its rounds, the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, commonly referred to as COP26 was the 26th edition of the annual feature of the UNFCCC. COP26 concluded on 12th November. Happening after a stall of nearly 2 years due to the pandemic, the conference was expected to bring some major announcements and stringent commitments from the member nations, in a first after the 2015 summit. This was because the Paris Agreement expects the signees to revisit their policies to make sure they are compliant with the carbon neutrality and global temperature goals. The 2015 Paris Agreement pledges countries to keep global average temperature rise well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, with a goal of 1.5°C. Crossing the 1.5°C thresholds, according to scientists, risks causing severely significant climate change repercussions on people, wildlife, and ecosystems.