Today marks the start of the UN Climate Change Conference, COP26, taking place in Glasgow.
It is widely hoped and expected that the meeting will set enhanced and more urgent reduction targets for greenhouse gas emissions out to 2030, as well as mandating a critical role for nature in climate change mitigation and adaption.
What is not so widely known is the vital role that geographers and geography have played in the lead up to COP26, with many geographers being significantly involved in the reports that have given urgency to the inter-governmental discussions taking place in Glasgow.
Over the course of the conference, we will be sharing a range of talks, upcoming events and resources linked to that day’s theme, highlighting how geography is central to our understanding of the mechanisms driving climate change and the mitigations and adaptions that we now need to put in place to keep global temperature increase below 2C.
Watch the video above to hear from the Society’s Director, Professor Joe Smith, for his take on the importance of geographers to these discussions and how they can help deliver a better tomorrow for society and the planet.
Find out more about geography and climate change