A Statement on COP26 from the Institute for Ecological Civilization

As we marched with protesters in Glasgow and featured emerging leaders on EcoCiv panels, it was only too clear how far we still need to go to achieve an ecological civilization. This month’s summit will count as a success only if leaders now act upon the updated climate plans promised for 2022: phasing out coal, radically reducing methane emissions and fossil fuel use, assisting developing nations to transition to sustainable energy, and compensating the hardest hit nations for the loss and damage caused by climate change.

We celebrate the progress made at COP26, which extended the Paris Agreement Accord in significant ways. We now urge partners in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors to build boldly and rapidly on this foundation, joining us in constructing realistic roadmaps toward a sustainable future. Short-sighted thinking is a recipe for disaster. The climate crisis calls for changes of unprecedented speed and scale, and yet the transition to an ecological civilization is fully within our grasp. The coming 12-24 months will demonstrate whether or not COP26 was the turning point that the planet needs.

Philip Clayton, President
On behalf of the Institute for Ecological Civilization

Commentary on COP26

Here is a link to a particularly helpful short summary of this year’s climate summer summit and what it achieved. 

Joseph Manko, former general counsel for the EPA Region III, spoke to the ‘Hot Topics’ series of the Cosmopolitan Club about what COP26 did and did not achieve. A founding partner of Manko, Gold, Katcher & Fox in Philadelphia, Joe advises EcoCiv on matters of environmental law.