The stakes were high going into the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow, as were the levels of cynicism and hope.

The meeting, a critical follow-up to the 2015 Paris Agreement, came at a time when the brutal, painful impacts of global warming are more obvious than ever: climate-intensified floods, fires, and heat waves affected millions worldwide this year. Those disasters emphasized the importance of immediate, drastic actions to fix the underlying problem and help people adapt to changes already locked in.

Activists, researchers, the climate-concerned, negotiators—all hoped the session could accelerate action to address the growing crisis. But as the meeting edges toward its conclusion, the results are decidedly mixed.

“You want to acknowledge that we are progressing,” says Sameera