THE Conference of the Parties (COP) emerged under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), adopted at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. Its purpose was clear yet ambitious: to provide a multilateral forum where nations could collectively agree on measures to stabilise greenhouse gas concentrations and prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system.
The early years of the COP process reflected a sense of optimism. The Kyoto Protocol (1997) represented the first legally binding framework, committing industrialised countries to emission reductions. However, the absence of major emitters like the United States and the lack of commitments from developing countries weakened its implementation. The Copenhagen Summit (2009) exposed deep fractures between the developed and developing world over responsibility, finance, and fairness and marked a turning point in the politics of climate diplomacy.
This tension
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