Combating Climate Change Successfully Through COP26 Glasgow 2021, Term Paper Example

The 26th conference of the parties COP26 held in Glasgow in 2021 was a significant moment in global politics to pursue the participation of various countries in addressing the climate crisis. With more than 200 countries attending the conference and a majority of the attendants making bold pledges towards addressing climate change, it is crucial to evaluate how successful the conference is in addressing the issues (Cohen et al., 2022). Some of the pledges made would impact climate change through the reduction of carbon emissions and limiting global warming as major points of contention in the management of the crisis. The arguments supporting the success of combating climate change through the COP26 conference are grounded in the evaluation of international relations, social constructivism, and feminism perspectives. A counter-argument on the failure of the same is also prudent to test the strength of the arguments for the success of the conference.

International Relations

Combating climate change from an international relations perspective is now a major matter that has taken precedence over other international political issues. The results of the COP26 conference have an impact on the manner in which this issue is addressed. The issue is a rapidly evolving concept that is now the subject of many public conversations in various countries, such as the UK, which has subsequently determined that public opinion is a crucial part of policy associated with addressing climate change (Ettinger et al., 2023). The magnitude of the conversation on climate change present in the perspective of international relations is how independent efforts in various countries result in greater awareness and pursuit of collective responsibility. Unlike other issues that have previously been debated on the scale of the global corporation, climate change is evidently a subject of international politics as proven by the COP26 proceedings.

Another way through which the COP26 conference can be successful in climate change from an international relations perspective is to influence foreign policy. One of the areas that will potentially be affected in the future by foreign policy and its implications on addressing climate change is pursuing a technical perspective through digital and technology integration. As Dwivedi et al. (2022) highlight, the success of COP26 is highly dependent on achieving net zero through global efforts that will require the involvement of technology as an integral component through digitalization and addressing e-waste. In this sense, the international relation perspective of the success of the conference is tied to awareness and reality regarding the current phase of the industrial revolution and to what extent the suggestions of the conference can be enhanced to ensure success by the end of the decade.

The security and economic interests that influence international relations are grounded in climate change, as addressed through the COP26. Despite disagreements during the meeting regarding the approach to handling coal as a source of energy and determinant of the direction of climate change, it became evident that countries with different capabilities would require a customized approach to participate in suggested efforts (Depledge et al., 2022). The politics of phrasing the initiative as a phase-down approach was accomplished in consideration of the various economic interests of the countries that argued against this approach to the climate conference. By accommodating the perspectives of different states, such as China and India, in their assertions regarding the move forward, the conference was successful in aligning international politics with the common goal of addressing climate change.

Finally, grounding the Glasgow climate pact on climate action and support during the 2020s is a decade is a successful approach to combating climate change through international relations. According to Wang et al. (2022), this pact, much like the negotiations of the Paris agreement, focused on a milestone to addressing climate governance that is based on the consensus of global commitment and a specific acceleration in the next decade. The politics and decisions at a discrete scale, as observed during the Glasgow climate conference, may not be successful without equal involvement and pursuit by participating member states. Coming to a consensus, as indicated in some of the examples above, for example, the decision on a mission as a result of the use of coal why, is paramount to the success of the conference to ensure a global commitment and understanding.

Social Constructivism

The framework of social constructivism is based on the influence of shared beliefs and norms that influence the behavior of particular nations and states. One of the Shared beliefs and norms that are likely to impact climate action through the suggestions of the COP26 would be government action and patriotism as tenets of climate action (Buchanan et al., 2022). It is essential that the belief of making drastic changes to protect natural resources and reverse the effects of human activity as well as norms that sustain the recovered environment, are part of the action. By highlighting policies that attract minority support, the climate change conference framed its approach as one that is ambitious but with the possibility to tackle climate change through the involvement of domestic audiences and shared objectives.

Moreso, the gathering of countries at the conference is a show of willingness and shared beliefs that tackling climate change is a global effort highlighting the significance of the COP26 conference in addressing the issue. This gathering, like others of its kind, indicates corporation and agreement on common goals, especially those that tackle climate change despite the different economic, political, and social contexts that different countries come from (Hunter et al., 2021). A meeting of this magnitude is in itself a success considering that various commitments or non-commitments within various states still have an implication on the direction of the climate conversation, especially following the Glasgow climate summit. Cohesiveness and togetherness when working towards a transition as initiated by this conference is a crucial part of the success achieved through the participation of present nations.

Another shared perspective that was characteristic of this conference that highlighted the success in addressing climate change was the growing awareness and shared understanding among the members. The pursuit of climate justice prior to the conference was centered around the increased understanding and dedication to tackling climate change as a major indicator of the success of the Glasgow conference (Tobin & Barritt, 2021). The success of a conference in this perspective is founded on the continued pursuit of a shared understanding of the implications of climate change and sustaining a sense of urgency to be ambitious and direct financial support in supporting current climate action. The growing awareness and understanding also extend into the implications of inequalities around climate change affected by gender injustice, an issue that is both of social constructivism concern and the feminist theory perspective.

Through the discussions at the COP26 conference, it was evident that both actions needed another success of social constructivism to understanding that climate change requires the boldness of the different countries involved. Some of the efforts undertaken by various countries have previously been present and continue to overlap until the achievement includes the effort to stop and reverse deforestation by latest the year 2030 (Hughes et al., 2022). Although not a major discussion of the conference, the issue of deforestation and the commitment of countries such as Brazil to address this climate change issue indicate continued action and participation of countries to address all areas of restoration. The continued global commitment to this shared objective continues to motivate efforts at the national level to combat climate change.

Trickling down from a global to a national perspective, the COP26 meeting was also successful in addressing climate change by equipping countries with the necessary skills to hold fruitful discussions about climate change. According to Ettinger et al. (2023), having conversations about the state of climate change is an essential part of mobilizing climate action, especially in times of crisis where finding meaning and processing emotions are important. This is an approach to social constructivism that pursues the shared values within individual nations to address belief systems and knowledge levels regarding climate-related discussions. Success in combating climate change beyond the conference is crucial through climate action as inspired by member states, and this is inherently dependent on the level of awareness and understanding among our country’s citizens. This space for conversation also results in discussions about the disproportionate effect of climate change and how to address it for full effectiveness.

Feminism

On the other hand, feminism is another theoretical framework through which the success of the COP26 conference can be evaluated on its success. The success of the conference was largely in part due to the acknowledgment of the feminist perspective and the thought of ecological distractions as well as the school of reforms that are likely to have an implication on addressing the crisis (Nxumalo et al., 2022). The feminist approach as a framework highlights the disruptive approach to addressing erasing problems, and as with the concern of climate change, combating it will require drastic action that is ambitious and rounded on collective action. This approach dictates success because the realization of the drastic changes that need to happen for a successful address of the climate crisis is paramount to the realization of the Glasgow conference and the climate change goals of the decade.

Another feminist perspective that was evident during this conference was the prioritization of the needs and voices of marginalized communities disproportionally affected by climate change. This is an effective way to combat the climate crisis by considering areas that are significantly disadvantaged and ensuring that the world moves as a unit in mitigating the problem. One example of accommodating the needs and wishes of marginalized communities is to consider the implications of suggesting reliance on renewable energy in economies such as Sub-Saharan Africa (Adedoyin et al., 2023). Also, potentially a limiting factor the conference address to the possible success of this approach through relying on effective governance and financial considerations to include the marginalized countries as part of the efforts to achieve the climate objectives by the end of the decade.

The launch of the gender action plan 2.0 was another highlight of the conference that contributed to its success in combating climate change through gender-sensitive climate policies. The implications of this gender action plan are associated with gender responsiveness and a turning through the Glasgow conference to continue on the resolutions of the past three decades to combat climate change (Morrow, 2023). Through the gender action plan, the conference highlighted the inequalities that exist and continue to persist among marginalized groups and how they subsequently affect the response and ability to participate in climate action. Recognizing gender equality issues within the global climate change context and governance is a success for combating climate change through leveraging and accommodating substantial action against the global pandemic.

Finally, the feminist perspective also addresses how climate change is a gendered impact, and the COP26 was successful in highlighting the implications of the depletion of resources on women. Although many of the inequalities that affect women disproportionately in climate change issues are associated with greater economic concerns, they were addressed at the conference (Tobin & Barritt, 2021). Many references to societies where women continue to play the role of caregiver indicate that the implications of climate change continue to affect the ability to utilize available natural resources for sustenance. The success of a conference will see that women are adequately represented in climate action to address the issues that affect them and directly contribute to strategy and policy at national and global levels. The feminist perspective, much like social constructivism, relies on cohesive and collaborative participation for success and effectiveness in combating climate change.

Counter-Argument

Alternatively, the COP26 conference may also be unsuccessful in combating climate change, considering that the urgency and magnitude of the climate crisis were not a central point of discussion, considering that the effects are already felt in various parts of the globe. There was no target set for specific actions such as a reduction of global emissions or climate finance which supports mitigation efforts, both of which are paramount to combating climate change (Arora & Mishra, 2021). Also, the commitments that are usually made by the countries during the conference are not legally binding because of an absence of a mechanism to ensure that countries follow up with their pledge. The issue of lacking clarity and the reduction of global emissions and lack of legally binding participation in the process are reasons that indicate the failure of COP26 in addressing the urgency of the climate crisis.

Conclusion

The success factor of the COP26 conference, as viewed from the international relations, social constructivism, and feminist perspective, indicates a perspective that targets holistic and global efforts to address the climate crisis. The success of this conference in combating climate change is also subject to counter-argument and criticism due to an inability to address the agency of the crises and, at the same time, set targets for control of global emissions as a major cause of climate change. The future of success in addressing climate change as related to the goals of the COP26 or any subsequent conferences is to encourage improvements at micro and macro levels. As addressed, communication and the creation of awareness at the national level this crucial to instigate climate action, which needs to start at this level before proceeding to the global community and international relations.

References

Adedoyin, F. F., Bekun, F. V., Hossain, Md. E., Ofori, E. kwame, Gyamfi, B. A., & Haseki, M. I. (2023). Glasgow climate change conference (COP26) and its implications in sub-Sahara Africa economies. Renewable Energy, 206, 214–222. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2023.02.054

Arora, N. K., & Mishra, I. (2021). COP26: more challenges than achievements. Environmental Sustainability. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42398-021-00212-7

Buchanan, T., Ackland, J., Lloyd, S., van der Linden, S., & de-Wit, L. (2022). Clear consensus among the international public for government action at COP26: patriotic and public health frames produce marginal gains in support. Climatic Change, 170(3-4). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-021-03262-2

Cohen, R., Eames, P. C., Hammond, G. P., Newborough, M., & Norton, B. (2022). Briefing: The 2021 Glasgow Climate Pact: steps on the transition pathway towards a low carbon world. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers – Energy, 175(3), 97–102. https://doi.org/10.1680/jener.22.00011

Depledge, J., Saldivia, M., & Peñasco, C. (2022). Glass half full or glass half empty?: the 2021 Glasgow Climate Conference. Climate Policy, 22(2), 147–157. https://doi.org/10.1080/14693062.2022.2038482

Dwivedi, Y. K., Hughes, L., Kar, A. K., Baabdullah, A. M., Grover, P., Abbas, R., Andreini, D., Abumoghli, I., Barlette, Y., Bunker, D., Chandra Kruse, L., Constantiou, I., Davison, R. M., De’, R., Dubey, R., Fenby-Taylor, H., Gupta, B., He, W., Kodama, M., & Mäntymäki, M. (2022). Climate change and COP26: Are digital technologies and information management part of the problem or the solution? An editorial reflection and call to action. International Journal of Information Management, 63(63), 102456. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2021.102456

Ettinger, J., McGivern, A., Spiegel, M. P., King, B., Shawoo, Z., Chapin, A., & Finnegan, W. (2023). Breaking the climate spiral of silence: lessons from a COP26 climate conversations campaign. Climatic Change, 176(3). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-023-03493-5

Hughes, A., Shen, X., Corlett, R., Li, L., Luo, M., Woodley, S., Zhang, Y., & Ma, K. (2022). Challenges and possible solutions to creating an achievable and effective Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. Ecosystem Health and Sustainability. https://doi.org/10.1080/20964129.2022.2124196

Hunter, D. B., Salzman, J. E., & Zaelke, D. (2021). Glasgow Climate Summit: COP26. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4005648

Morrow, K. (2023). COP26 and beyond participation and gender – more of the same? Transnational Legal Theory, 1–27. https://doi.org/10.1080/20414005.2023.2171347

Nxumalo, F., Nayak, P., & Tuck, E. (2022). Education and ecological precarity: Pedagogical, curricular, and conceptual provocations. Curriculum Inquiry, 52(2), 97–107. https://doi.org/10.1080/03626784.2022.2052634

Tobin, P., & Barritt, J. (2021). Glasgow’s COP26: The Need for Urgency at “The Next Paris.” Political Insight, 12(3), 4–7. https://doi.org/10.1177/20419058211044997