This autumn, the United Nations is organising two events called ‘COPs’: COP17 in Yerevan, Armenia, and COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye.
What does COP mean and why are there two with different numbers, 17 and 31?
COP is an acronym for ‘Conference of the Parties‘. It is the supreme decision-making body of an international convention. These conferences are organised by the UN with the high-level participation of states, regional organisations and non-governmental actors.
COP Climate
The best-known COP is the one on climate, which takes place every year in a different region of the world.
The COP in France in 2015 gave birth to the Paris Agreement on climate change. The agreement’s goal is to limit global warming to well below 2, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels. Since then, the UN has confirmed that the world will miss this target, and is projected to reach 1.8°C at a minimum. The priority now is to keep the exceedance short-lived and low, and work toward bringing temperatures back down thereafter.
The COP in Paris was the 21st conference on climate, thus COP21. On the 9th of November, the 31st conference kicks-off in Antalya – COP31.
This year, for the first time, the summit’s responsibilities will be split between Türkiye and Australia. Türkiye will host the conference and look after the logistics that come with overseeing a massive international operation. Australia will set the agenda and lead the direction of negotiations in partnership with Pacific Island countries.
Framed as the ‘COP of the Future’, negotiations will be on issues such as adapting to climate impacts, reducing greenhouse gas pollution, climate finance for developing countries, and a just transition for workers and communities.
COP Biodiversity
There is also a COP dedicated to biodiversity. This deals with the ‘Convention on Biological Diversity’ and takes place every two years. COP17 on biodiversity will be held in Yerevan, Armenia from the 19th of October.
The Convention on Biological Diversity was signed by 150 government leaders at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit and is dedicated to conserving biological diversity. It has now been ratified by 195 countries, plus the European Union, but not by the United States or the Vatican.
This year, countries will assess for the first time their progress towards the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF).
The framework was agreed in 2022 and targets include restoring 30% of degraded ecosystems by 2030, as well as conserving 30% of land, waters and sea. It also set a goal of halting human induced extinction of known threatened species. By 2050, it wants to see the abundance of native wild species increased to healthy and resilient levels.
What is the link between the COPs on climate and biodiversity?
The conferences are separate and independent of each other, but their goals are intertwined.
Climate change plays a key role in the decline of biodiversity. Habitats, ecosystems, migratory patterns are all affected by higher temperatures and more severe weather events. Extinction rates only increase with climate change.
Biodiversity is essential to limiting the impact of climate change. Land and oceans act as natural carbon sinks, where they absorb half of human-made emissions. Forests, mangroves, and wetlands all contribute. Conserving these spaces is estimated to be integral to reducing one third of greenhouse gas emissions in the next decade.
Why it matters?
Biodiversity is facing an unprecedented crisis. Up to one million species are threatened with extinction.
Every year, humanity clears 10 million hectares of forests, an area equivalent to the size of Portugal.
In the EU, there has been a decline by 17% of common birds between 1990-2024. Only half of the UK’s natural biodiversity remains intact.
The future of biodiversity is synonymous with our future. We need biodiversity not only for climate mitigation, but also for food, health, natural resources, and a sustainable economy. The results of both conferences will be pivotal to deciding what our future will look like.
Many Treaties, many COPs
The COPs on climate and biodiversity are not the only ones. There are multiple COPs across different United Nations treaties.
Earlier this year, another COP17 took place, this one on the Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia in August.
Next year, the first-ever COP (COP1) to the High Seas Treaty (Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement) will take place from 11 to 22 January in New York, United States. The 7th COP to the Minamata Convention on Mercury (COP7) will take place in Geneva, Switzerland in September 2027.
COP32 on climate will be held next year November 8-19 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. COP18 for biodiversity will be held in late 2028.
For further information see the UNRIC Fact Sheets on biodiversity and on climate change.