COP26: A quick guide to this global summit
If you’ve been looking at global news recently, you might have come across coverage of the COP26. But do you know what it is, and why it matters so much? Political leaders, from Joe Biden to Narendra Modi, are gearing up to attend this global summit, scheduled to start from October 31 in Glassgow, UK. It will continue till 12th November. Here is everything about COP26.
What is COP26?
COP26 is the annual United Nations summit involving 197 countries. All these nations have agreed to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, which was formulated in 1992. It is the decision-making party of the United Nations Climate Change Framework Convention or UNFCCC. This meeting is held every year to evaluate how well nations are tackling the climate change crisis. In order to minimise greenhouse gas emissions, this meeting body establishes legal obligations on member countries. COP stands for "Conference of the Parties". This is the 26th meeting of all the member countries, the first one being held in 1995 in Berlin. COP26 was supposed to be held last year. It was postponed due to COVID-19.
What is the programme for COP26?
In the first week, government officials are expected to discuss issues such as including carbon footprint, funding for countries vulnerable to climate change, and nature-based solutions to several global problems. In the second week, heads of state are expected to meet, negotiate and sign agreements.
There are two main sites for COP26: the Blue Zone and the Green Zone. The Blue Zone is in West Glasgow in a UN managed space in the Scottish Event Campus. The Green Zone is managed by the UK government as a platform for the public, artists, academics, students, researchers, and activists. While the Blue Zone is where negotiations, treaties and discussions would happen, the Green Zone is meant to encourage participation and active conversations around climate change.
Understanding UNFCCC
The formation of UNFCC dates back to 1994, when climate change was first recognised by the UN and took conscious steps to bring light to the situation. The UNFCCC is essentially an agreement between all the member nations. Its main objective was to stabilise greenhouse gas concentrations which were present in the atmosphere. There are 198 parties in the UNFCCC, and India is one of them.
Goals of the UNFCCC
After its formation in the year 1994, the UNFCCC laid out a list of objectives for all the member nations. It encouraged them to be pro-active and take adopt an eco-friendlier approach. Some of these objectives were:
- To formulate measures in order to mitigate climate change
- To cooperate in the preparation of adapting to the forthcoming climate change
- Educating and promoting awareness about the climate amongst individuals and encouraging their participation in the fight against climate change.