The COPs (Conferences of the Parties) are the supreme decision-making body of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). In other words, they are international meetings where countries that have signed the Convention gather to assess progress in the fight against climate change and decide on new actions.
Origins and creation of the COP
The COP was born as the result of a global process that began in 1992 during the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. At that historic event, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change was signed—an international treaty aimed at stabilizing greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations in the atmosphere to prevent dangerous warming.
The first COP (COP1) was held in 1995 in Berlin, Germany. Since then, a COP has been held every year (with rare exceptions), in different cities and countries.
Who organizes the COPs?
The UNFCCC Secretariat, headquartered in Bonn, Germany, is responsible for organizing and coordinating each COP. Participants include:
- Member countries (known as Parties) to the Convention.
- International observers, such as NGOs, businesses, scientists, and the media.
- UN bodies and representatives of indigenous communities and civil society.
Currently, 198 countries are Parties to the UNFCCC, meaning virtually the entire planet is represented.
Main purpose of the COP
The purpose of the COP is to assess whether countries are meeting their climate commitments and, when necessary, negotiate new international agreements. Its goals include:
- Reducing global greenhouse gas emissions.
- Promoting adaptation to the impacts of climate change.
- Financing projects and policies for the transition to low-carbon economies.
- Encouraging technological and scientific cooperation among countries.
In the face of a growing climate crisis, COPs are crucial spaces for coordinating the global response and keeping the goal of limiting global warming alive.
And… what is COP30?
COP30 will be held in Belém, Brazil, in 2025, and will mark a milestone: it will be the first time a global climate conference takes place in the Amazon, one of the planet’s most critical regions for climate balance.
This edition will be especially relevant because:
- It will coincide with the submission of the new round of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement, which must be more ambitious than the current ones.
- It will bring together world leaders to set the course for climate action over the next decade.
- It will focus on protecting tropical forests, indigenous peoples, and biodiversity.
Belém is preparing to welcome thousands of delegates with an agenda that blends science, diplomacy, and political urgency to prevent global temperatures from exceeding the critical 1.5 °C threshold.