Reflections on the first week of COP26

It’s been a busy and highly significant first week of the climate conference in Glasgow with a strong outline of policies and pledges, the task for next week is to fill in the details. The long-term ambition of the global environmental policy, now being negotiated, would have been hard to imagine just a few years ago. While it is not yet clear exactly where the various pledges will get us to in terms of limiting temperature rises, the new agreement on methane and a commitment by India to get half of its energy from renewable sources by 2030 are highly significant.

What has been encouraging for me is that we are finally talking about the integrated approach to the many environmental challenges humanity faces. Previously, conservation and biodiversity were often viewed as separate issues from the changing atmospheric chemistry that drives global heating. Whereas, the Landscape Profession has long recognised that the crises of climate change, biodiversity loss and human health and wellbeing are inextricably interconnected (Landscape architecture and the challenge of climate change 2008). Now, with a promise to reverse deforestation, conserve peatlands, and provide funding directly to indigenous people to help them protect their lands, there is greater recognition of the vital part that nature plays in regulating the climate. Perhaps this will be the step change in our relationship with the natural world?

The pledges made so far are far from sufficient and must be viewed as part of a continuing process. The decisions by some countries to stay away and their refusal to join in the methane agreement is very worrying. But there is a sense of momentum in Glasgow, and the science is increasingly accepted.

One of the challenges of the coming days is to ensure that the plans put forward by governments, are not built on wishful thinking and reliance on technology that hasn’t yet been invented. Years of delays mean that the timetable is incredibly tight requiring strong and decisive leadership.

It must be a whole world effort; the global north must support the global south. The stories of exploitation, murder recounted by indigenous peoples are horrific. They have a right to be heard, to contribute and be supported financially. They have the knowledge to sustainably manage their landscape and should be supported to ensure the great ecosystems of the planet grow and thrive.

The voices of the young have been loud, I couldn't help but be moved when I witnessed their march in Glasgow. But have they been heard by the leaders? They are rightly outraged, anxious, and impatient at the lack of real progress, they should be involved in the negotiations as they are part of the solution. Afterall, they are the ones that will have to deal with the consequences of climate breakdown.

Finally, I am optimistic that there has been much talk this week of nature-based solutions to the three crises we face. This is a step change, and it must be the starting point for the built environment sector. Delivering on COP26 means changing the way we design and build places. We need to make sweeping reforms to our energy, land, industrial, urban, and infrastructure systems. As Landscape professionals we are integral to creating sustainable places. We design with nature, rather than against it, bring a unique, integrated response to the complex and interconnected issues of climate change and biodiversity loss.

This week we will continue to lobby for adaptation as well as mitigation; investment in green skills and data; and we will be asking the government to take a landscape led, natural capital approach to infrastructure delivery.