COP26

COP26

Melting ice sheet with massive waterfalls running off the Austfonna glacier, eastern Svalbard, Norway.
Austfonna glacier on Nordaustlandet in the Svalbard archipelago is Europe’s third-largest glacier by area and volume and with a glacier wall of around 200 kilometres, it is an impressive sight. During the last decades, every month has brought new record high temperatures in the Arctic, and the ice cap on Nordaustlandet is melting at high speed. The meltwater starts as small streams but eventually gathers in larger, almost river-like systems, that finally pour off the steep wall. Meltwater also finds its way down under the ice cap and makes the foundation weak. This results in a collapse which pushes the ice out into the Arctic Ocean. This so-called surge has already been happening over several years. The current situation in Svalbard is that the average glacier retracts by 80 meters a year, with some of them by up to 300 meters. Climate change has an enormous impact on the Arctic and it is happening now.

Mandatory credit: © Roy Mangersnes / naturepl.com

COP26 Earth Project photography competition

The Earth Project is inviting you to choose the most impactful environmental images to raise awareness of nature and climate crises ahead of COP26.

David Attenborough. © Sam Barker/BBC

The Green Planet to premiere at COP26

Due to air globally throughout 2022, the series from BBC Studios Natural History Unit is presented by Sir David Attenborough and will premiere on the eve of the COP26 conference.

Mural in sand on a beach in Wirral saying COP26 in large letters with crowd around it

What is COP26 and why is it important?

This November's Conference of the Parties is critical for the future of the climate. Climate scientist Dr Tara Shine explains what COP26 is, when and where in the UK it's being held, and why it's so important.

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