What is COP? Key facts and terms at climate summit explained

GLASGOW, Scotland — The U.N. clime summit, known arsenic COP26 this year, brings officials from astir 200 countries to Glasgow to haggle implicit the champion measures to combat planetary warming.

Here are immoderate of the presumption and cardinal issues that volition beryllium discussed astatine the event, which is scheduled to tally from Oct. 31 to Nov. 13:

Short for Conference of the Parties to the U.N. Framework Convention connected Climate Change.

First held successful 1995, it besides serves arsenic the gathering of parties to the 1992 Kyoto Protocol that archetypal committed countries to reducing greenhouse state emissions and those that signed connected to the 2015 Paris Agreement. Governments gathering successful the French superior six years agone agreed connected a people of keeping planetary warming beneath 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), ideally nary much than 1.5C (2.7F), by the extremity of this period compared with pre-industrial times.

More than 25,000 delegates are registered for the lawsuit this year. It volition beryllium chaired by British authoritative Alok Sharma.

More than 100 satellite leaders volition be the commencement of the acme Monday and Tuesday, known arsenic the high-level segment, including U.S. President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Germany’s Angela Merkel, who presided implicit the archetypal COP, volition marque 1 of her past planetary trips arsenic chancellor, portion Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is besides expected to be successful person.

Queen Elizabeth II and Pope Francis person canceled their trips to Glasgow, portion Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro are not scheduled to spell but whitethorn present speeches by video link.

The Paris accord acceptable a people for limiting planetary warming but near it up to each state to taxable its ain emissions simplification targets, known arsenic Nationally Determined Contributions.

Part of the program was for countries to regularly reappraisal and, if necessary, update their targets to guarantee the Paris extremity is met.

Governments were required to taxable their caller NDCs 5 years aft Paris, but that deadline was softly pushed backmost a twelvemonth due to the fact that of the coronavirus pandemic.

Countries had hoped to finalize the alleged Paris rulebook a fewer years aft the accord was signed, but immoderate elements of the statement stay unfinished.

They see however countries cod and study their greenhouse state emissions successful a transparent mode and however to modulate planetary c markets.

Among the top issues astatine COP26 is the question of however mediocre countries volition spend the disbursal of ditching inexpensive fossil fuels successful favour of renewable vigor portion adapting to the inevitable effects of planetary warming already “baked into” the atmosphere.

There is simply a statement that affluent nations, whose greenhouse state emissions are mostly liable for clime change, person to wage up. The question is however much.

Many governments person stressed that uncovering ‘green’ jobs for millions of radical moving successful the fossil substance manufacture is simply a challenge.

This is existent for processing countries arsenic good arsenic for affluent nations specified arsenic the United States, wherever ember mines and lipid fields are large employers successful different economically depressed regions.

Trees, wetlands and oceans are perpetually removing c dioxide from the atmosphere.

Calculating however overmuch CO2 is absorbed and stored by these c sinks is simply a cardinal portion of the clime alteration equation.

Some countries judge they tin equilibrium retired overmuch of their emissions utilizing their ain earthy resources; scientists and biology campaigners are skeptical astir the idea.

Swedish clime activistic Greta Thunberg has said she doesn’t privation to beryllium the halfway of attraction and different campaigners from processing countries should beryllium heard too.

But Thunberg, who inspired the Fridays for Future younker rallies, was mobbed similar a stone prima by fans and journalists Saturday arsenic she arrived successful Glasgow by train.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres acknowledged that wide clime protests person enactment unit connected satellite leaders to instrumentality the contented much seriously,

“Keep pushing for action,” helium told a younker league Saturday.