In February 1979, the First World Climate Conference was held in Geneva; it was sponsored by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO). At the conference, scientists raised concerns about climate change and its potential harm to humanity. The scientists urged governments to anticipate and prevent potentially harmful human-made changes to the climate.
This conference helped shift climate change research onto the international policy agenda. Further conferences in 1985 and 1988 provided the impetus for international action. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change established COP as the governing body; it was adopted in New York on 9 May 1992 and opened for signature at the Rio Earth Summit in June 1992. Although the foundation stone for COP was laid in 1992, the convention began functioning in Berlin, Germany, from 7 March 1995. In 1992, 154 countries participated; today, it includes 198 members, 197 countries and the European Union.
COP-Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). In the context of COP, parties refer to the states and the EU that have joined the UN climate convention. This convention is the parent treaty of the 2015 Paris Agreement. The 2015 Paris Agreement is a legally binding climate treaty adopted at UNFCCC at COP21 in December 2015.
The main aim of COP is to prevent dangerous human-induced climate change. COP brings countries together to negotiate, enforce commitments, review progress, and support implementation and accountability under climate change agreements. The annual climate summit commonly called COP includes meetings of three governing bodies: COP for the UNFCCC, CMP for the 1997-Kyoto Protocol, and CMA for the 2015 Paris Agreement.
COP aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that drive global warming, implement the Paris Agreement, which aims to keep the increase in global average temperature well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and pursue efforts to limit it to 1.5°C, support countries to become resilient to climate impacts, arrange climate finance for climate action, particularly for developing economies, address loss and damage to vulnerable economies experiencing climate harm, and review emissions levels.
COP also works to enhance skills and support climate-related technologies. COP works collectively to advance the realisation of commitments towards climate action. One major factor influencing COP progress is that decision-making generally uses a consensus model rather than a majority vote. No countries have so far agreed on a fallback mechanism for decision-making if consensus is not reached. This factor can explain slow final agreements, which sometimes dissatisfy certain countries.
The COP's purpose extends beyond pollution control; it provides an opportunity for countries to sustain climate protection, food security, and sustainable ecosystems. COP efforts continue, with COP31 scheduled for 9-20 November 2026 in Antalya, Türkiye. Türkiye's environment ministry is the president-designate.
COP31 is expected to emphasise translating climate commitments into measurable emission reductions, making funding more accessible, and providing stronger support for vulnerable communities. These remain some priorities and expectations, not agreed outcomes. COP31 proposes collective dialogue and a plan to strengthen action to keep global warming at 1.5 °C. They will also discuss practical steps to transition from fossil fuels to cleaner energy. Moving forward, COP31 is expected to focus more on implementing existing commitments than on negotiating a new overarching treaty.
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