Seize the momentum of COP26 to make architects’ voices heard COP26’s potential as a global event offers an opportunity to accelerate a change for more sustainable building, says Hattie Hartman COP26 did not take place in 2020, and it may not take place in 2021. Yet, as the scheduled November date of the international climate conference in Glasgow approaches, the race to net zero is on. And the term ‘accelerator’, borrowed from start-up lingo, is percolating into the climate sphere. An accelerator implies intense, rapid, and immersive networking and learning which fast-tracks innovation. Advertisement Acceleration is desperately needed, since we are not currently on course to meet the commitments of the 2015 Paris Agreement, largely because of the discrepancy between what needs to be done, what countries have pledged and actions to date. The UK is no exception. While Boris Johnson announced in December that the UK would aim to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by at least 68 per cent over 1990 levels by 2030 – more rapidly than any other major economy – the detailed roadmap is still a work in progress.