With COP26 finally coming to a close, it is time now to look back and see if this summit was even remotely successful in giving hope for the future. Sadly, the results are not exactly encouraging. Climate Action Tracker stated that even in the best-case scenario where countries follow through on much of their net-zero emission goals, the world would still see temperatures warm by 1.8 degrees Celsius. This is admittedly better than the 'business as usual' scenario where, in the absence of any new climate action pledges, global temperatures go up by as much as 2.7 degrees Celsius by 2100. Either way, things are moving far too slowly to adhere to the 1.5 degrees threshold that climate experts have recommended. The 1.5 degrees mark is a safe threshold to allow the world enough time to acclimate to the changing climate but it is important to note that even 1.5 degrees of heating will bring about climate devastation. The world has already crossed the 1-degree heating mark over pre-industrial levels and the effects are rather evident. Increased heatwaves, droughts, unnatural spells of rain, cold snap, increased occurrence of cyclones, floods, etc., are all signs that climate change is already at our doorstep and it isn't about to get any better but it can become a whole lot worse. Consider the new report from the UK Met office that states how global temperatures rising by 2 degrees Celsius could cause the number of people experiencing extreme heat stress to rise from around 68 million today to around one billion. If the temperature increases by around 4 degrees Celsius, half the world's population would be living under extreme heat stress. As things stand now, it seems more likely that the world is heading for either a 'business as usual' scenario in regards to emissions or even a 'worst case' scenario. The problem in this regard is that talk is cheap. While world leaders can claim to understand the impending disaster of climate change and can even claim to be making collective efforts to prevent the worst of it, actions speak louder than words. Though COP26 has seen some new, ambitious, climate pledges, its ending looks to be as disappointing as ever. News has already emerged that Russia and Saudi Arabia, for instance, are working hard to prevent any mention of plans to phase out coal or end subsidies for fossil fuels in the final deal that will emerge out of the conference. And then there is Australia. The nation is already considered to be the worst climate action performer of the developed world even if the Scott Morrison government likes to claim otherwise. While there was hope that Australia would at least try to mend its ways with COP26, such hopes seem ultimately futile. A recent report detailed how the Morrison government tried to block a UN recommendation to keep global heating to within 1.5 degrees Celsius in order to protect world heritage sites from the effects of climate change. This is presumably in an effort to prevent the Great Barrier Reef from being listed as a world heritage site that is in danger. All this does not mean that the world itself is entirely failing when it comes to climate change. Regardless of how vested interests are fighting back against climate change science, it is undeniable that the world has never cared as much for climate action as it does now. From private companies to world governments, climate change is the one elephant in the room that cannot be avoided. But it is also clear that the world is not ready to act together even at this moment. From world leaders to business leaders, there are still too many reasons and incentives to keep things as they are, even if our current methods of production and economic activity will lead to untold devastation. When will the petty need for self-enrichment finally lose to a sense of self-preservation? How bad or how real does the climate change crisis need to be before world leaders acknowledge that playing politics with climate change is a foolish endeavour with no happy ending? It's hard to know but climate change is surely not waiting around for our leaders to take it seriously. In an interesting development, a senior citizen in Canada has become the first person in the world to be diagnosed as suffering from climate change. Obviously, this person is not the first to suffer from climate change and will, without question, not be the last person to suffer from it either. On that note, farewell COP26! We hope COP27 can give us the hope we so desperately seek in this uphill battle against climate change. If not, there is always COP28.