Five years after Cop26 in Glasgow, its legacy is under question

Five years on from Scotland hosting the Cop climate change summit, ministers are being challenged to take “urgent action” over the “addiction to fossil fuel”. With the latest United Nationals Cop summit getting under way in Turkey on Monday, campaigners at WWF questioned the legacy from the event in Glasgow five years ago. Then-US president Joe Biden travelled to Scotland in 2021 for the key talks, which also saw campaigner Great Thunberg and actor and environmentalist Leonardo DiCaprio come to the city.

At the time, then-first minister Nicola Sturgeon described the Cop26 summit as being “one of the most important events ever held in Scotland – and also one of the largest”. But with Scotland having been hit with “record breaking heat”, as well as “devastating” floods and “increasingly severe” wildfires since then, WWF Scotland director Lang Banks said the country was already suffering from climate change. He also raised concerns that progress to reduce carbon emissions was “slowing in some sectors” and “flatlining” in others.

As a result, Mr Banks said next month’s Holyrood Budget must include action to help households “move away from the crippling costs of gas and oil heating” – along with measures to encourage farmers to “adopt climate and nature-friendly practices”. The WWF Scotland director said: “Five years on from Cop26, we’re asking the Scottish Government: where is the legacy?” He added: “Since Glasgow hosted the climate summit, Scotland has experienced record-breaking heat, devastating floods and increasingly severe wildfires.

“The impacts of climate change are no longer something to worry about in the future – they’re here and now and hitting us all in the pocket.” Scotland has been battered by several storms over the past five years, with Storm Babet in 2023 causing flooding in Angus and the North East, while a rare red weather warning was issued for Storm Eowyn in January 2025, with wind gusts of more than 100 miles per hour recorded in places. 2025 also saw the UK’s first official mega fire – a wildfire that burned on Dava Moor for four days, impacting an estimated 29,225 acres across the Highlands and Moray.

Meanwhile, 2026 saw the driest January to April in Scotland in more than 60 years, with a wildfire in the Cairngorms over the summer leading to homes, businesses and visitor accommodation all being evacuated around the Glenmore and Loch Morlich areas. In the wake of such weather events, WWF stressed the need for action on climate change – with Scottish ministers being challenged to include various measures in the December 3 Budget. Mr Banks said: “Progress to reduce carbon emissions in Scotland is slowing in some sectors and in flatlining in others.

“We need urgent action to end our addiction to fossil fuels, speed up the transition to clean energy and restore nature at the scale required to tackle the climate and nature crises. “As Scottish ministers prepare next month’s Budget, we need to see households helped to move away from the crippling costs of gas and oil heating and assistance to make their homes warmer and more energy efficient. “Farmers need to be supported to adopt climate and nature-friendly practices that safeguard our food system.

And multi-year investment in nature restoration and climate resilience.” Speaking about such changes, he insisted: “These are not optional extras. They are essential investments in Scotland’s future prosperity, security and wellbeing.” A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The harmful effects of climate change are already with us in Scotland, as demonstrated by the worst wildfires in living memory in the last year. The Scottish Government’s approach to tackling climate change focuses on two priorities: adapting to the changes already determined by historic emissions and continuing to drive down emissions to limit future harm.

Our latest climate change plan and adaptation plan set out policies to deliver on two priorities. “Climate Action Secretary Gillian Martin represents Scotland on the global stage and supports efforts to advance international co-operation on tackling climate change and biodiversity loss and demonstrate how sub-state governments are delivering action on the ground. We also use these opportunities to advocate for investment in climate and biodiversity action, greater climate justice, and a stronger role for governments like Scotland in international processes.

We have been instrumental in advancing the debate on loss and damage and debt justice and work with Regions 4 and the Under 2 Coalition to advance territorial action, access to climate finance and advocate for multilevel recognition.”