What is point of UN climate COP: Explained
Tens of thousands of people from all over the world will descend on Azerbaijan’s capital of Baku next week for COP29-the annual U.N. climate summit.
UN Climate COP
But as every year’s summit has produced its own set of promises, plans and paperwork to chase, it’s hard to keep up with the rationale for having these discussions.
Here’s what you need to know about why COP-which stands for Conference of the Parties-matters:
WHY DO WE NEED A YEARLY COP?
It is because climate change will affect every country regardless of whether it contributed to the problem, and thus it calls for global solutions that can meet the diversity of needs across countries.
While the parties signing the 1992 U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that opened the global negotiations were careful to distinguish between wealthy nations that caused most of the warming and poorer countries disproportionately affected by it.
That is, the discussions are being done within the context that those countries that benefited the most from their industrialization should bear the heaviest burden when combating the warming that resulted.
That gap meeting has become quite challenging now that developing nations’ economies have grown and developed powers balance other expenses such as war.
WHAT CAN A YEARLY SUMMIT ACCOMPLISH? What is point of UN climate COP: Explained
Summit gives the countries a platform to address solutions in energy policies, financing schemes, or funding needs.
Almost every summit is also attended by world leaders, therefore providing an important signal that their countries have the commitment towards the goals of UNFCCC. Leaders’ presence also allows countries to hold each other accountable for previous promises made.
But the annual COP is only the main event in a continuing process. Country representatives meet throughout the year to build support for new climate action proposals, which can be agreed by consensus of all countries at the COP.
IS THE PROCESS WORKING?
While each summit is intended to push forward global climate action from the year before, the event also gives countries an opportunity to prove to their citizens that the problem is being addressed.
The exercise has seen countries count and report their emissions, helping to mobilize hundreds of billions of dollars in climate aid to developing nations.
This process also allows for strong global support for agreed actions because it requires decisions by consensus, improving the prospects of these actions being implemented.
However, the rate of progress has been too slow to hold down a rise in global temperatures. Since the COP summits began in 1995, both the emissions and the temperatures have continued to rise, ensuring that the world will be on track for extreme climate change.
And supporters of the UNFCCC process argue that there is no alternative to negotiating large-scale socioeconomic change in order to try to limit global warming.
WHAT WILL WE GET OUT OF COP29? – What is point of UN climate COP: Explained
This year’s summit hopes for a few headline agreements: a new annual climate finance target, a deal to get multilateral carbon credit markets working, and more aid money pledged for countries already hit by costly climate disasters.
In addition to that, the negotiators will embark on technical agreements that will be an improvement of work that has been done at earlier summits.
Outside of the formal framework of COP, countries can engage on their own initiatives or pledges for funding certain projects. Companies need to implement commercial deals resulting in climate actions while financiers need to raise dollars for climate investments.
WHAT IS AZERBAIJAN’S ROLE IN COP29? – What is point of UN climate COP: Explained
Central and Eastern Europe rotate through the presidency of the COP, so Azerbaijan will host COP29 this year and Brazil will host Latin America’s COP30 next year.
As host of the summit, a country works throughout the year to steer pre-summit negotiations and lobby other governments for ambitious action. This gives the presidency an important part in defining the summit’s priorities.
WHAT ELSE HAPPENS AT A COP? – What is point of UN climate COP: Explained
Beyond country negotiations, the COP summit presents an opportunity for anyone to try to draw attention – or funding – to a cause.
Hundreds of side events see activists and scientists rub shoulders with industry lobbyists and banking heavyweights.
Public-facing conference stages host panel discussions on everything from ocean acidification to designing carbon offset projects.
An exhibition hall, called the “Green Zone,” features speeches by national delegations, NGOs and companies.
Some summits have been marred by giant organized protests, such as the 2021 rally of thousands outside of COP26 in Glasgow; but Egyptian and United Arab Emirates summits restricted protests to roped-off, designated areas.
Other countries with public protest bans will likely see little civic action outside of the high-security conference site-Azerbaijan, which also has banned public protests.
What is point of UN climate COP: Explained
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