The Conference of the Parties (COP) is a convergence of world leaders and their delegates meeting annually to discuss critical issue of global warming, carbon emissions and how to tackle climate change since 1995.
This year’s meeting marks the 27th gathering of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change — or COP27 for short.
The roots of COP27 go back to 1992, when several nations signed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The task was to work together as nation states, so as to prevent low-lying islands from getting drowned due to rising sea levels and to limit global warming, as per a report from Verge. The nations that ratified the 1992 convention became the “conference of parties”, which includes 197 countries. In 1995, the first UN Climate summit meeting – COP1 was held in Berlin, Germany. As the name COP27 suggests, this will be the 27th time when the conference of parties come together to discuss how nations can collaborate and fight climate change.
From 6 to 18 November, Heads of State, ministers and negotiators, along with climate activists, mayors, civil society representatives and CEOs will meet in the Egyptian coastal city of Sharm el-Sheikh for the largest annual gathering on climate action.
What Will Be The Focus Of This Year’s Summit?
At the COP27 summit, world leaders will discuss and debate measures to ensure that developed countries support developing countries in taking measures that lower global emissions. Promotion of renewable energy, measures to rely less on fossil fuels, making green energy more affordable, will also be discussed. Although this year’s summit will host 100 heads of states/governments, there will be some top leaders who won’t be attending. Russia’s President Vladimir Putin won’t be attending the summit and it is being reported that China’s President Xi Jinping won’t be attending either. Chinese climate negotiator Xie Zhenhua will visit instead of Xi. America’s President Joe Biden, France President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz are all slated to visit. Britain PM Rishi Sunak has announced that he won’t be attending, to focus on domestic issues at home, however, he changed his mind after Boris Johnson announced that he will be attending COP27.
The Importance Of UN Climate Summits
COP21 was the most significant UN climate summit and it was held in Paris in the year 2015. The Paris Agreement was adopted at the end of COP21, which is considered a landmark agreement. In this summit, PM Narendra Modi spoke about climate justice, stating that it is unfair to ask developing countries to limit their energy use and reduce the amount of coal they burn, considering the fact that developed nations reached where they are by burning coal and polluting the environment. It is also worth mentioning that whilst energy consumption of India and China is higher than most nations, energy consumption per capita gives a more accurate picture and reveals that it is the western nations who consume more energy.
COP27 is being held in the continent of Africa and the entire continent of Africa is responsible for only 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions. According to a report from BBC, climate finance will be a major point of debate at the COP27 summit, with developing nations asking developed nations to pay for the damage they have done to the environment. Developed nations have always pushed back against this idea as it will hold them accountable for the pollution they have emitted over the decades.
The 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change – COP27 – will build on the outcomes of COP26 to deliver action on an array of issues critical to tackling the climate emergency – from urgently reducing greenhouse gas emissions, building resilience and adapting to the inevitable impacts of climate change, to delivering on the commitments to finance climate action in developing countries.
Faced with a growing energy crisis, record greenhouse gas concentrations, and increasing extreme weather events, COP27 seeks renewed solidarity between countries, to deliver on the landmark Paris Agreement, for people and the planet.
COP27 will be held “with a view to building on previous successes and paving the way for future ambition to effectively tackle the global challenge of climate change.”
