It’s nearly 30 years since the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change was signed at the Rio Earth Summit, but the subsequent annual gatherings, or Conference of Parties (COP), have rarely been truly memorable. What would make COP26, this year’s gathering in Glasgow, a success? And how do we rate COPs anyway?
The second question may be easier to answer than the first. At the very least, a successful COP must end with a clear commitment or some tangible achievement. By this tough standard, just five make the list.
The 1995 COP in Berlin is judged significant because it was the first. COP3, in Kyoto in 1997, was the first to oblige signatory countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. COP6, in Bonn in 2001, fixed a good deal for industrialised countries, but not the planet: rich countries were allowed to gain carbon credits for establishing carbon sinks, emissions trading and the clean development mechanism, which allowed them to fund emissions reductions in the developing world as an alternative to domestic measures. COP16, in Cancun in 2010, agreed to an annual $100bn Green Climate Fund (but not its funding) and identified the goal of keeping global warming to a maximum of 2°C. COP21, in 2015, adopted the Paris Agreement on climate change mitigation, adaptation and finance. It was the first time that the world had a binding agreement on measures to achieve climate neutrality by 2050.
