Cop26—The last chance saloon

The UN climate change conference in November must establish a central role for hydrogen, for applications from heavy mobility to heating

Over ten years ago at Cop16 in Mexico I argued that it was unlikely countries would sign up to binding limits on carbon dioxide emissions unless growth could be decoupled from the use of fossil fuels. Five years later in Paris hopes were high after the commitments made in advance by President Barack Obama and General Secretary Xi Jinping. The Paris Agreement was the landmark agreement in which nations made common cause to toughen up efforts to combat climate change. In a significant step forward, it adopted the ambitious goal of limiting the rise in average global surface temperature to 1.5°C compared to pre-industrial levels. Since then, clear progress has been made. Most countries and near