---
title: "How we got to COP26: A timeline on humanity’s last hope"
description: "As the 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26) negotiations draw near, countries across the globe are preparing to find solutions to collectively lower greenhouse emissions and prevent the global average temperature increase to exceed 1.5 degrees Celcius. This is how we got here."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "Climate Crisis: A Timeline of Action"
author: "Ethan van Diemen"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/ethan-van-diemen/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2021-10-28-how-we-got-to-cop26-humanitys-last-best-hope-to-keep-the-planet-livable/"
published: "2021-10-28T18:09:45"
updated: "2021-11-05T12:12:04"
lang: "en-ZA"
---

# How we got to COP26: A timeline on humanity’s last hope

> As the 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26) negotiations draw near, countries across the globe are preparing to find solutions to collectively lower greenhouse emissions and prevent the global average temperature increase to exceed 1.5 degrees Celcius. This is how we got here.

By Ethan van Diemen · Published 28 October 2021, 20:09 SAST · Updated 5 November 2021, 14:12 SAST

## Content

[Media](https://cdn.knightlab.com/libs/timeline3/latest/embed/index.html?source=1Ife5dXZZzRnH98bDpI585vV4Evk1lEJFZZ80uvnvPZI&font=Default&lang=en&initial_zoom=2&height=650)