In the aftermath of COP26, what have we learnt?

The much-anticipated 26^th UN Conference of the Parties – COP26 – is over, and the response to its agreement is mixed. Some say the path to net zero is inexorable; others that much remains to be agreed.

In Australia, a dominant theme is that private enterprise and state governments are taking the lead on the path to net zero in the absence of a clear national commitment. So what position will Australia and the wider world be in at the end of the decade?

Cosmos spoke to two experts to discuss this question: John O’Brien from Deloitte Australia, who attended COP26 in Glasgow, and Linden Ashcroft, a lecturer in climate science and science communicator at the University of Melbourne.