We can’t ‘win’ against the climate crisis – so we’re just going to have to adapt instead

There cannot be a national approach to a global issue such as climate change, say Anne-Marie Trevelyan and Yasmine Fouad. Leaders at Cop26 must recognise this and meet demand for resilience across the world

Extreme weather like the wildfires seen in Greece this summer have sounded the alarm for urgent climate action. (AFP via Getty Images)

With some of the worst wildfires and floods on record, 2021 has sounded the alarm on the need for urgent action to address the impacts of climate change. As we go into the second week of the Cop26 summit, the clock is ticking.

The science is clear. As the UN secretary general said recently following the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, this is truly a “code red” for humanity.

Even if we can keep the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees alive, we will need to adapt to existing climate impacts. From intense wildfires and deadly floods across Europe and the US, to increasingly ferocious storms hitting small island states across the Caribbean, Pacific and Asia, climate impacts are already affecting us all.