COP26 is bearing down on us like a deadline for a major assignment — and we’re the student who has frittered away the entire term. Now it’s six hours to midnight and we have a sketchy outline, some useful notes from our nerdy roommate, and a big mug of coffee. Our intentions may be good but we’ve made the assignment a lot harder on ourselves.
And while, yes, an extension may be possible, a deadline concentrates the mind wonderfully: there’s still just enough time to do what we need to do — so long as we’re smart, ambitious, and determined.
Of course, the stakes are much higher in Glasgow than simply flunking a class. The IPCC report that came out in August made this crystal clear: Global warming is happening faster than expected. It’s driving extreme weather on every continent. And the tipping points that would trigger far more destructive consequences are looming closer.