LISTEN: The best of Cop26
All the major events of Cop26 in 15 minutes
Last updated 15th Nov 2021
The Cop26 conference in Glasgow saw world leaders come together to agree the 'Glasgow Pact', committing to move away from coal and to cut emissions.
25,000 delegates from nearly 200 countries came together for two weeks, including royalty, presidents, prime ministers, business leaders and climate activists.
But what actually happened? What are the big stories from a fortnight of discussions, arguments, protests and worldwide media focus?
Have a listen to MFR's special programme from Rob Waller and Selena Jackson in Glasgow, looking back at the big stories from Cop26:
What happened at Cop26?
The conference had to run over time, but an agreement was made, known as the Glasgow Pact.
Ministers and negotiators at the UN summit in Glasgow agreed to get countries to strengthen their emissions-cutting targets for 2030 by the end of next year as part of the bid to limit dangerous warming climbing above 1.5C.
The deal also calls for efforts to accelerate the "phase down" of unabated coal, as well as the phasing out of inefficient fossil fuel subsidies.
Language in the pact on coal was watered down at the last minute - following a push led by China, and backed up by India - from accelerating the "phase out" of unabated coal, to "phase down", prompting angry responses from European and vulnerable countries.
But as talks overran by more than 24 hours, the pact managed to retain the first explicit mentions of fossil fuels in a UN climate agreement.
COP 26: As it happened
Kicking off Day 1 of the Conference, leader of Glasgow City Council Susan Aitken gave a speech welcoming delegates to the city. In the leadup to the Conference, concerns had been raised over the appearance of the city, with refuse workers threatening - and later carrying out - industrial action over pay.
Nature historian and broadcaster David Attenborough was amongst prominent speeches on Day 2 of the event, calling for greater action to reverse the "terrible decline" in the climate.
Other speakers included U.S. President Joe Biden, Prince Charles and Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who noted that the world was "one minute to midnight" on the climate question.
The event was held at the Scottish Exhibition Campus in Glasgow, with several venues including the SSE Hydro Arena playing hosts to delegates and journalists from across the world to cover the daily negotiations.
Initially meant to attend the opening days of the COP 26 Conference, the Queen was forced to miss out on giving a speech and meeting world leaders due to health concerns.
However, the Queen did record a special message for the delegates of the conference, saying that "the time for words has now moved to the time for action".
Other prominent climate activists and leaders were taking part in negotiations. Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon met young climate campaigners Greta Thunberg and Vanessa Nakate and called on leaders to "put their egos aside" to work on the common issue of solving the climate crisis.
One of the most important voices at the summit, U.S. President Joe Biden arrived to the Conference in style, with a motorcade of cars from his hotel in Edinburgh to Glasgow.
Once among other delegates, Biden reaffirmed America's commitment to tacking climate change, following the climate scepticism of his predecessor Donald Trump. The President also said that the "eye of history" was on Glasgow and that climate change was no longer a "hypothetical threat".
Despite negotiations, many climate activists were not happy with the progress of negotiations and demonstrations were held around Glasgow - led by Greta Thunberg - to demand clearer and faster action to resolve the climate issue. Protestors also rallied behind refuse workers going on strike as a result of pay disputes.
Day 3 of the Conference saw the first major development of an international pledge. Leaders from over 100 countries signed a deal to halt and reverse deforestation and land degradation by 2030. Downing Street said it would pledge £14 billion to the initiative.
While world leaders gathered, other important players in the world market also attended. Amazon tycoon Jeff Bezos gave a speech to delegates of the duty to protect the planet and the environment. Bezos also announced that he would put $2 billion (equivalent to £1.5 billion) towards the global effort in land restoration.
With thousands of deals going on across the area, finding a quiet spot was hard. However, individual work stations in green post boxes allowed delegates and journalists to get their work finished in a nod to British telephone boxes, which are typically red.
Little Amal, a 3.5 metre tall puppet of a Syrian refugee girl, reached the summit after walking from the Syrian border with Turkey to its destination in Manchester. The puppet's visit coincided with Gender Day at COP26, where attendees debated how climate change disproportionately affects women.
Former U.S. President Barack Obama also came to Glasgow to take part in negotiations to reduce global gas emissions. Speaking to delegates, Obama encouraged younger generations to continue the fight against global warming. He went on to say that the world is "nowhere where (it needs) to be" to avoid a total climate disaster.
A lighter story from the COP26 Conference came from American congresswoman Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez. In a post on Instagram, the politician remarked that she had not tried the Scottish drink Irn Bru, but really wanted to. The following day, Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon gave Ms Cortez a can of Irn Bru. After having a sip, Ms Cortez said: "Irn Bru, count me in. I love it."
As the potential for an agreement looked likely, the Prime Minister rushed back to Glasgow to help push leaders to agree to the deal. The Prime Minister took the train to Glasgow, in response to criticism he received for flying back to London after the initial days of the Conference.
A first draft of an agreement has been made, with amendments and negotiations to go well into the nights to ensure that a consensus is formed to keep global temperatures rising beyond 1.5C a possibility.
Whilst leaders were negotiating the final details of a detail, protests were held across the city to make sure that the best deal was being done. The main issue of contention was the phasing out of coal, where a divide grew between those exporting coal and those trying to end its use.
With negotiations unending, the summit was extended for another two days in order to finalise the deal. In that time, a final push helped to get a deal over the line, with amendments to agreements on coal securing the future of the deal.
On the final day of the extended summit, the agreement was fully signed, meeting the conference's goal of keeping global warming below 1.5C. However, despite fighting back tears, President Alok Sharma warned the deal would only survive "if everyone keeps their promises".