Leaders from 197 countries will meet in Glasgow, Scotland between October 31 and November 12 for climate change talks. This conference, being held after a gap of two years, is called COP26.

COP stands for Conference of the Parties. The first COP was held in Berlin in 1995. The Glasgow climate change summit is the 26th session of the conference.

COP26 summit comes just months after the United Nations report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) showed that the world was warming faster than previously thought. With climate change keeping the world leaders, scientists and environmentalists concerned, expectations are higher from the COP this year.

This COP also marks five years of COP21 when a landmark climate change treaty, called the Paris Agreement was signed. The anniversary is even more significant as countries evaluate progress made to deal with the challenges of climate change every five years.

During COP21 in 2015, countries signed treaties pledging to work hard towards keeping warming under 1.5ºC.

With less than six weeks to go for the United Nations Climate Change Conference, here is everything you need to know.

WHAT IS COP26?

COP or the Conference of the Parties refers to the meeting of the 197 member-countries who have ratified the COP under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Every year, the talks are hosted by a different country where delegates from every government take part to advance global efforts to ward off the adverse impact of climate change.

The COP negotiations are centred on the legal mechanisms for governments to hold each other accountable. The summit sees politicians, business leaders, campaigners and journalists engaging in discourse on what climate action means in the real world.

WHEN IS COP26?

COP26 was originally scheduled to be held last year but it had to be postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

After a gap of two years, the conference will begin from October 31 this year and go on till November 12.

WHO IS HOSTING?

The COP 26 UN Climate Change Conference will be hosted by the UK in partnership with Italy. The climate conference is being held at the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) in Glasgow.

WHY GLASGOW?

The UK, the president of COP, is hosting the conference this year and while London is its capital, Glasgow has been chosen to host the pivotal UN conference on climate change.

Glasgow, the largest city of Scotland, seems to be a perfect choice for hosting a summit on climate change. It was recently awarded the status of Global Green City and has a target of achieving carbon neutrality by 2030.

Besides, it has been one of the foremost locations for cultural events.

According to Glasgow City Council, “Glasgow was chosen by the UK to host COP26 due to its experience in hosting world-class events, commitment to sustainability and first-rate facilities”.

WHO WILL BE ATTENDING?

The COP26 summit will bring together the signatories of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), a treaty inked in 1994.

The climate conference is expected to be attended by as many as 30,000 people this year including world leaders, NGOs, businesses, journalists, negotiators, and protestors.

Leaders of all the signatories to the UNFCCC are expected to attend the summit. There are a total of 197 signatory parties.

ALSO READ | $100000000000: That’s how much UN needs to fight climate change every year, but it doesn’t have

BIG NAMES

Among the high-profile attendees are Queen Elizabeth of Britain, Pope Francis, broadcaster and author David Attenborough and climate activist Greta Thunberg. In April, Thunberg had tweeted that she “would love to attend” Cop26, so long as “everyone can take part on the same terms.”

COP26 president Alok Sharma had expressed his delight while sharing the news on August 27.

Absolutely delighted that Her Majesty the Queen will attend #COP26! @RoyalFamily https://t.co/fJchlysKt8

— Alok Sharma (@AlokSharma_RDG) August 27, 2021

A LOOK BACK AT COP25

The last climate conference was held two years back in November 2019 in Madrid, Spain. The meeting was expected to “finalise the rulebook of the Paris Agreement” but was “unable to reach consensus in many areas”.

Back then, the UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed his disappointment with the result and said, “The international community lost an important opportunity to show increased ambition on mitigation, adaptation and finance to tackle the climate crisis.”

The UK government is hopeful that COP26 will have a better outcome than COP25.

WHAT ARE THE GOALS OF COP26?

This year’s climate conference will focus on moving the climate change process forward and delivering the 2015 Paris Agreement goals. During the summit, leaders will monitor the progress by evaluating what has and hasn’t been achieved since 2015. They will also set plans to reach the Paris Agreement targets.

All 197 countries had collectively agreed in 2015 to strive to cut emissions to limit global temperature rise “well below 2C” and strive for 1.5C. As per nationally determined contributions (NDCs), every country was asked to set out targets for contributing emissions reductions by 2025 or 2030.

Cop26 President Alok Sharma called the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report a “wake-up call” for the world. “We need to make sure that at Cop26 we are able to credibly say we have kept 1.5C alive,” he said, with action required “this year”.

Boris Johnson had summarised the UK’s agenda for the conference as: “coal, cash, cars and trees”.

COP26 is expected to achieve four aims:

1. Secure global net-zero by mid-century and keep 1.5 degrees within reach

To deliver on these stretching targets, countries will need to:

• Accelerate the phase-out of coal
• Curtail deforestation
• Speed up the switch to electric vehicles
• Encourage investment in renewables

2. Adapt to protect communities and natural habitats

3. Mobilise finance

4. Work together to deliver

Further, COP26 aims to:

• Finalise the Paris Rulebook (the detailed rules that make the Paris Agreement operational)
• Accelerate action to tackle the climate crisis through collaboration between governments, businesses and civil society.