COP Conferences

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UNITED NATIONS CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCES - Conference Of The Parties

The Conference of the Parties (COP) talks serve as the supreme decision-making body of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). It has brought nations together annually since the inaugural meeting in Berlin, Germany, in 1995.

The primary purpose of the high-level meetings is to coordinate global action against climate change.

Major Successes

Over the decades, these summits have achieved monumental milestones, including COP3 in Kyoto (1997), which introduced legally binding greenhouse gas reduction targets for industrialised nations. COP21 in Paris (2015) introduced a universal legally binding treaty aimed at limiting global warming to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels through Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). More recently, COP28 in Dubai (2023) featured the first Global Stocktake, delivering a historic consensus to transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems.

The Need For Reform

Despite these landmark agreements, many experts, activists, and supporters of a rapid green transition are increasingly losing faith in the talks as climate change accelerates and the meetings risk becoming mere talking shops.

Critics point to numerous systemic flaws, including the massive influence of fossil fuel lobbyists, the lack of adequate inclusion of developing countries and Indigenous delegates, and the stalling caused by a strict requirement for consensus among parties.

Additional concerns involve the massive carbon footprints generated by the events themselves, a pervasive lack of urgency, and the absence of legally binding accountability mechanisms to ensure countries follow through on their pledges.

For future COP conferences to succeed and regain global trust, fundamental reforms are urgently needed. These include enforceable action on climate finance and capitalisation of the Loss and Damage Fund, a strict ban on fossil-fuel lobbying attendance, and the implementation of aggressive, legally binding NDCs.

Parties must set binding national timelines to phase out coal, oil, and gas, and reform governance to move away from deadlock-prone, consensus-based decision-making.

COP31 - Ambitious Action Or More Talking?

Stay tuned for updates on COP31, which is set to take place in Antalya from November 9 to November 20, 2026. The main focus areas will be operationalising climate finance goals, enhancing 2035 national climate plans (NDCs), and advancing loss-and-damage frameworks.