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Why is the conference called COP21?
The Paris Climate Conference is officially known as the 21st Conference of the Parties (or “COP”) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the United Nations body which is responsible for climate and based in Bonn, Germany. The Conference will also serve as the 11th Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol.
The COP meets each year to take decisions that further the implementation of the Convention and to combat climate change. COP21 will take place at the same time as CMP11, the 11th meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol, which oversees the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol and the decisions made to increase its effectiveness.
Reading list
- Synthesis report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
- UN Environment Programme Emissions Gap Report (2015)
- Trends in Private Sector Climate Finance report
- The New Climate Economy Report
- Shock Waves: Managing the Impacts of Climate Change on Poverty (World Bank)
- The Human Cost of Weather Related Disasters (UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction)
Frequently Asked Questions
In preparing for Paris, more than 150 countries have submitted national climate targets covering nearly 90 per cent of global emissions. An agreement in Paris will not be the end point, but it can be a decisive turning point in how all countries, acting together under an agreed, transparent legal framework, will set out a pathway to limit global temperature rise to less than 2 degrees Celsius – the internationally agreed goal.
Paris will also need to include a credible &ampltspan style=”text-decoration: underline”&ampgtfinance package&amplt/span&ampgt. Many developing countries will need international cooperation, including finance and technology, to help them move toward a low-carbon future. As part of this package, developed countries will need to detail how they will fulfill their previous pledge of mobilizing $100 billion per year by 2020 to support developing countries. And financing for the post 2020 period will also need to be addressed.
Paris will also showcase &ampltspan style=”text-decoration: underline”&ampgtclimate actions&amplt/span&ampgt that are already underway. Under the “Lima to Paris Action Agenda”, many businesses, cities, states and regions, and civil society groups will be highlighting efforts they are taking to respond to climate change. Many new initiatives will also be announced in Paris that demonstrate a growing commitment to climate action.
There will be an “Action Day” on 5 December at the Paris Climate Conference, which will feature announcements of manor initiatives. And there will be a sequence of ‘Thematic action Days’ during the COP, from 2-8 December. The ‘Thematic action Days’ will enable the stakeholders to present issues at stake and existing solutions’ pathways for each main action area of the Agenda. They will be official events with expected high-level attendance that will create a visible sequence during the COP.
More information on the Lima to Paris Action Agenda can be found at http://climateaction.unfccc.int/
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has provided different scenarios regarding different levels of action. If nothing is done, and the world proceeds on its present course, world is on track for an average global-temperature rise of four degrees Celsius (more than seven degrees Fahrenheit) by the end of this century.
Owing to the carbon emissions that have been pumped into the air so far, average global temperatures have risen by about 0.85 degrees Celsius (1.5 degrees Fahrenheit). This relatively small increase has produced large effects: almost half of the permanent Arctic ice cap has melted away, millions of acres’ worth of trees in the American West have died from warming-related pest infestations, and some of West Antarctica’s major glaciers, containing tens of thousands of cubic miles of ice, have started to disintegrate. Even if CO2 levels were to stop rising tomorrow the world would continue to warm, by about .5 degrees Celsius (.9 degrees Fahrenheit).
Participants
Please visit the COP21 Information Hub which contains information on various aspects including:
- Registration and accreditation
- Venue and Logistics
- Events and exhibits
- Pre-sessional and preparatory meetings
You can also download a list of frequently ask questions for participants here: http://unfccc.int/files/meetings/paris_nov_2015/application/pdf/cop21cmp11_faq.pdf
Media
Frequently Asked Questions on COP21
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Message from Christiana Figueres
Media accreditation for UNFCCC conferences is strictly reserved for members of the press (print, photo, radio, TV, film, news agencies and online media) who represent a bona fide media organization, which means being formally registered as a media organization in a country recognized by the United Nations General Assembly.
The deadline for media accreditation for COP 21/CMP 11 is November 9, 2015.
Accreditation will be given on proof of a track record of reporting for media organizations on climate change. No double registration (e.g. as press and delegate, or as press and NGO) is allowed.
Online accreditation is the ONLY official channel to obtain registration for the media. The secretariat is not in a position to accept accreditations via any other channel.
1. Go to the Online Registration System
2. Look on the top left corner for options to either login or create an account.
3. If you have an account, log in with your e-mail address and password.
4. In the upper right-hand corner of the screen, select COP 21 as the current meeting.
5. Upload the required documentation and click on “Submit application”
For more information about access at the conference venue please see the Information Hub section on News and Media.
Take Action
You don’t need to attend the conference to make a difference. Here we provide you with a list of a few things you can do to take climate action now
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