Global temperatures are already 1.2 degree C higher than pre-industrial era. As the UN’s annual climate conference COP26 drew to an end with little progress on most key issues, it drew reactions of anger and disappointment from young activists.

The world leaders needed to agree on some key issues: who will do how much to reduce their carbon emissions, the finance that will be given to the developing countries to cope with the changes already underway, and whether countries with historically high carbon emissions will compensate the vulnerable countries for the ongoing damage. 

All through the COP, Scotland’s Glasgow, the venue for this year’s conference was buzzing with activity. There were roaring protests by the young outside, lots of pushback from the developing countries inside in the negotiation rooms, and plenty of big speeches by the world leaders.

In the end, little was delivered. India stepped up to block coal phaseout and watered it down to coal phase down, at a time when its capital is engulfed in thick air pollution. On the plus side, COP26 did see a rise in conversations about the public health fallouts of climate change.

In this episode, we string together the key highlights from COP26.

Disha Shetty reported from COP26 as a part of the 2021 Climate Change Media Partnership.