COP26 President Alok Sharma receives applause after giving the closing speech as he attends the Closing Plenary of the COP26 Climate Summit at SECC in Glasgow, Scotland, on Nov. 13, 2021. Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images
The Glasgow climate conference represents a strategic defeat for the West, and for Britain in particular. Boris Johnson unleashed everything he could muster. The royal family hosted receptions for multibillionaires. The Foreign Office sent climate envoys around the world.