COP26: What does COP mean?

With your feeds being filled with talk of COP26, and as world leaders start arriving in Glasgow, you might have a few questions.

The conference will take place over two weeks and will be set across two sites in the city. You can find out more about the layout of the summit below.

What does COP mean?

COP stands for the Conference of the Parties. The conference came about under the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Every country in the world is involved in this treaty which holds them accountable in avoiding dangerous climate change.

When was the first COP Conference?

The first conference was held in Berlin, Germany in 1995. Also known as COP1. They have been held almost every year since.

Why is it such a big deal?

While all of the summits have been monumental, and always evoke huge conversation, this year’s summit is particularly important as delegates will be returning and aiming to finalise the rules associated with the 2015 Paris Agreement.

All leaders in attendance will need to agree on common time frames in monitoring and taking action on their climate commitments. Glasgow will be home to where the rules could be finalised and made into reality.

A lot of scientists have suggested that this may be the last chance to implement these rules with climate change continuing to worsen.

The world is still on track for a global temperature of 2.7°C, whereas the Paris agreement embodies a commitment to keeping global warming at 1.5°C or lower. Therefore, leaders are being told to act now.

When is the next conference?

COP 2027 will be held in 2022 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.