Session Description: In November 2021, ESA provided badges to ten ecologists with various areas of expertise and backgrounds to participate as Observers at the 2021 United Nations Conference of the Parties Meeting (also known as COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland. In this ESA 2022 Special Session, we will share our perspective, experiences, and general take-aways from the international climate change negotiations that took place at COP26. In addition, we will have a discussion on the progress, ongoing agreements, and additional work needed to meet the goal that “A Change is Gonna Come” and in time to prevent the planet from warming 1.5 degrees C above pre-industrial temperatures. This session will be divided into two parts. First, a series of short presentations will provide a summary of COP26, including topics such as decarbonization, adaptation, climate justice, nature-based solutions for carbon markets, and loss and damages. We will provide an update on potential status changes in global emission goals, targets, and countries’ Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) in the time since COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland. Then, a longer interactive panel with an integrated Q&A session will offer perspectives from several attendees and participants in the COP26 meeting on progress and future prospects, and the larger role of the ESA community in meeting these climate goals.