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What is COP and why is it so important.
What has been discussed in COP 26 in Glasgow?
What is COP and why is it so important. What has been discussed in COP 26 in Glasgow?
COP stands for cooperation of parties. Countries that are ‘parties’ to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. There are 197 parties involved. This includes all Member States of the United Nations and the European Union.
In the 1992 Rio Earth Summit it was decided con call for regular meetings on prevention and control of climate change, and the first COP was held in Berlin in 1995. Since then, there has been a COP nearly every year.
This year it was held in Glasgow, and it was the 26th edition. COP 26.
It is held every year to assess the progress made in tackling climate change, but why it was so important this year? because every 5 years there is kind of “SUPER COP” where the countries update their national plans and make key decisions about actions they will take.
In COP 2015, the Paris agreement was established, which committed countries to ideally limit the increase in world´s temperature below 2ºC by the end of the century.
These are known as ‘Nationally Determined Contributions’ or NDCs. In 2021 is the first decision making COP (2020, it was not held to covid- 19). This could be our last chance for countries to come together and agree on policies that can help avoid a climate disaster before it’s too late. The NDCs set in 2015 are considered by the UN Environment Programme to be far below the levels needed to meet the objective of the Paris Agreement.
New NDCs now need to be set – In order to achieve global net zero emissions by 2050.
Net zero greenhouse gas emissions means that we’d remove the same amount of carbon from our atmosphere as the amount we’d be emitting. A net zero emissions means putting an end to burning fossil fuels for energy. For absorbing rest of the carbon in the atmosphere we depend on natural “carbon sinks” like healthy forests and oceans or use man made carbon capture technologies.
Apart from what leaders decide at COP 26, We all can contribute to avert climate change by our everyday choices like drive less, walk or cycle more, protect and plant trees, recycle and reuse, only then this net zero future can become a reality.
Sources: EU news
If you want to actively participate in the moment for climate change:
You can become part of the pan-European movement climate change by taking a European Climate Pact pledge to make one (or several) changes to your everyday life. From smaller changes like eating less meat, to bigger transformations like greening your money
Protecting the future together!