Everything you need to know about COP

The COP29 UN climate summit, to be held in Baku, Azerbaijan, will focus on climate finance and fundraising for developing countries that are severely affected by the climate crisis.

What does COP mean?

COP, short for "Conference of the Parties", is a term used in international relations to denote a committee that is created after the signing of an international treaty and whose task is to establish the rules for its implementation. There are a number of COPs for various international agreements, from chemical weapons treaties to combating desertification. However, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which was signed in June 1992 by 154 countries with the aim of combating the negative impacts of human activity on the climate, acquired the most significant connection with the COP. Since then, these meetings have been held almost every year to discuss the progress and implementation of the agreed measures. Each COP has its own serial number, for example COP26 is the 26th meeting.

Every year a different country takes over the presidency of the COP, while the host city also changes every year. New agreements concluded at the COP are usually named after the host country, such as the 2015 Paris Agreement or the 2021 Glasgow Climate Pact.

Who participates in the COP?

In addition to politicians, diplomats and government officials, various other entities also participate in the COP and try to influence the results of the conference. Among them are fossil fuel lobbyists who seek to defend their industrial interests and protect the safety of their industries from necessary environmental measures. For example, at COP27, it was found that the number of fossil fuel lobbyists exceeded the number of delegates representing indigenous peoples from the official UN electoral college. A record number of such lobbyists attended COP28, approaching 2,500.

On the other hand, there are environmentalists and indigenous people who demand the protection of their territories from the devastating activities of mining and industrialists. Organizations like Global Witness are working to push for swift and ambitious action to respond to the climate crisis and ensure a just transition. However, many obstacles, whether regulatory, economic or legal, prevent the effective participation of environmental organizations in these global processes. Those most affected by climate change are rarely given the space to express their views.

What was agreed at COP28?

At the COP28 climate summit held in Dubai, countries agreed to renew commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. For the first time, nearly 200 countries agreed to "transition" away from fossil fuels, although they faced opposition from some countries such as Saudi Arabia and Russia, weakening the final pledge. Without an explicit statement on the "phasing out" of fossil fuels, there is plenty of room for the industry to continue its activities.

What will be discussed at COP29?

At COP29, which is referred to as the "financial COP", the main theme will be to increase the climate ambitions of countries and secure the necessary financing to achieve them. Loss, damage, adaptation and mitigation will be key issues, with countries discussing new financing targets, a loss and damage fund, updating Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and regulation of the carbon credit market.

Controversial issues at COP29

The success of COP29 depends on managing tensions over responsibility for funding, benefits and market regulation of climate innovation. High-income countries will face challenges as to how much they should contribute to climate finance and what responsibilities they should assume. Developing countries will continue to emphasize that the historical emissions of rich countries should lead to significant support for those facing the worst consequences of the climate crisis.

When it comes to regulating private financing and resource extraction, it is essential to call for transparency and respect for human rights. COP29 has a challenging task ahead of it – to raise ambitions towards a fair and ecological future without forgetting the commitment to climate justice. (Co2AI)