24th Conference of Parties [COP24]

COP24, or the 24th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), was held in Katowice, Poland, from 3-14 December 2018.

The talks were expected to be difficult due to deep divisions between developed and developing countries over how much each group should contribute toward reducing emissions, adapting to climate change and paying for the costs of these actions - the main sticking point in finance.

What is the COP24?

The conference was hosted by the Government of Poland in partnership with the United Nations. The overarching theme of COP24 is "Transforming our world: ensuring that climate change responses address poverty eradication and promote sustainable development".

COP24 aims to agree on a set of rules for implementing the provisions of the Paris Agreement by 2020 when it will enter into force. The new rulebook will cover such issues as tracking emissions and progress towards reducing them, strengthening commitments and reporting requirements, and methods for adapting to climate change.

What are the Aims of COP24?

The main aims of COP24 are to:

• Review any progress in the implementation of the Paris Agreement
• Adopt guidelines for implementing its transparency framework, which will enhance countries' capacity to deliver on their commitments under the agreement and clarify how countries should report and communicate their progress
• Advance work on other issues relating to the agreement, including international cooperation on mitigation measures and support for developing country Parties

The main task at COP24 will be finalising a rulebook that sets out how countries should measure and report greenhouse gas emissions and implement their climate goals. This comprehensive set of rules will serve as an operational manual for governments to effectively implement the Paris Agreement, translating its goals into national actions that are transparent, measurable and verifiable.

Significance of COP24

24th Conference of the Parties is expected to develop guidelines on carbon markets, including other market-based mechanisms and non-market approaches, and enhanced cooperation on climate action and finance.

The treaty commits countries to slash emissions of greenhouse gases to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels - or, at worst, 2 degrees Celsius - by the end of this century. Achieving this would require countries to accelerate their climate action plans significantly and immediately start implementing them.

Outcome of COP24 - Katowice Poland Rulebook

The UN climate summit in Katowice, Poland, is focused on how to enforce the Paris Agreement. At the UN climate conference in Katowice, Poland, negotiations went 21 hours past their official deadline as delegates wrangled over wording and technical details.

But after two weeks of talks, they finally agreed on the "rule book" that sets out how countries should proceed with cutting their emissions and monitoring their progress.

As delegates from around the world gather at the United Nations climate summit in Katowice, Poland, the once-distant global warming threat has become a real and present danger.

A huge challenge in addressing climate change is how to overcome the concept of "tragedy of the commons". The tragedy of the commons is a term that originated in biology, but it applies well to other areas of life, too. In biology, it refers to individuals acting in their self-interest, will consume a shared resource at a rate greater than nature can sustain. As a result, that resource declines and eventually disappears.

FAQs on COP24

Q1. What is the COP24?

The UN climate conference (COP24) in Katowice, Poland, was the most important climate summit since the 2015 Paris Agreement.

Q2. Where was COP24 held?

COP24 was held in Katowice, Poland, from 3-14 December 2018.

Q3. What was the primary aim of COP24?

The first aim of COP24 was to agree on how countries would report what they were doing about emissions and how this information would be collected and checked by other nations.

Q4. How did COP24 address the issue of climate change?

The COP24 in December 2018 was the next step in implementing the Paris Agreement, adopted at COP21 in 2015. The Paris Agreement was a landmark global agreement to take action on climate change and accelerate and intensify the efforts and investments needed for a sustainable low carbon future.