A Historical Look at the UN Climate Change Conferences
As part of our mission to inform and educate the public about the energy sector, we've created a timeline of the Conference of Parties (COP) and its most significant achievements. Visit our UNFCCC page to learn about WiRE’s engagements and impact at COP since 2019.
The COP Timeline
A three-decade journey of global climate governance, from landmark agreements to persistent challenges.
Years of Summits
Annual meetings to assess progress and negotiate global climate policy.
Nations Ratified
The UNFCCC treaty unites the world to prevent dangerous climate interference.
The Critical Goal
The Paris Agreement aims to limit global warming to well below 2°C, pursuing 1.5°C.
Two Eras of Climate Policy
The evolution from a top-down, limited protocol to a universal, bottom-up agreement marked a paradigm shift in climate governance.
Kyoto Protocol (1997)
- → Approach: "Top-down" with mandatory, legally binding emission targets.
- → Scope: Binding targets for 39 industrialized nations only.
- → Accountability: Based on compliance with legally mandated reduction targets.
Paris Agreement (2015)
- → Approach: "Hybrid" model with voluntary commitments and binding procedures.
- → Scope: Universal, applying to all 196 parties that signed the agreement.
- → Accountability: Relies on a transparency framework and a "ratcheting-up" mechanism.
A Comprehensive Timeline of The Conference of the Parties
From the Berlin Mandate to the Global Stocktake, every year has played a role in shaping the world's response to climate change.
COP1: Berlin, Germany (1995)
Launched the "Berlin Mandate," starting negotiations for a legally binding treaty to strengthen climate commitments.
COP2: Geneva, Switzerland (1996)
Noted the IPCC's Second Assessment Report. For the first time, the U.S. supported a legally binding agreement, adding critical momentum.
COP3: Kyoto, Japan (1997)
Adopted the landmark Kyoto Protocol, the first treaty with binding emission reduction targets for developed nations.
COP4: Buenos Aires, Argentina (1998)
Adopted a 2-year "Plan of Action" to finalize the rules for the Kyoto Protocol, focusing on its operational details.
COP5: Bonn, Germany (1999)
Technical negotiations continued, making progress on rules for market-based mechanisms and compliance systems under Kyoto.
COP6: The Hague, Netherlands (2000)
Negotiations collapsed over disagreements on key issues, leading to a suspension without an agreement on the Kyoto rulebook.
COP7: Marrakesh, Morocco (2001)
Successfully finalized the "Marrakech Accords," completing the Kyoto Protocol rulebook and paving the way for its ratification.
COP8: New Delhi, India (2002)
Adopted the "Delhi Declaration," which focused on the development needs of poorer countries and technology transfer.
COP9: Milan, Italy (2003)
Made progress on rules for carbon sinks (forests) and recognized the operationalization of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM).
COP10: Buenos Aires, Argentina (2004)
Focused on adaptation and began informal discussions on what would come after the Kyoto Protocol's first commitment period.
COP11: Montreal, Canada (2005)
The Kyoto Protocol officially entered into force. Parties launched talks on a post-2012 framework.
COP12: Nairobi, Kenya (2006)
Made progress on the Adaptation Fund and launched a five-year work program on adaptation measures.
COP13: Bali, Indonesia (2007)
Adopted the "Bali Road Map," a two-year process to negotiate a new, comprehensive agreement for post-2012 action.
COP14: Poznań, Poland (2008)
The Adaptation Fund was officially launched, and progress was made on REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation).
COP15: Copenhagen, Denmark (2009)
Failed to produce a binding treaty but the non-binding "Copenhagen Accord" laid groundwork for future agreements.
COP16: Cancún, Mexico (2010)
Formalized pledges from Copenhagen, establishing the Green Climate Fund and other financial mechanisms.
COP17: Durban, South Africa (2011)
Launched the "Durban Platform," charting a course for a new, comprehensive agreement applicable to all parties.
COP18: Doha, Qatar (2012)
Extended the Kyoto Protocol to 2020 and formally included the concept of "loss and damage" in the text for the first time.
COP19: Warsaw, Poland (2013)
Established the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage and a framework for reducing deforestation.
COP20: Lima, Peru (2014)
Agreed on essential elements of a draft negotiating text for what would become the Paris Agreement.
COP21: Paris, France (2015)
Adopted the historic Paris Agreement, a universal treaty with voluntary Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
COP22: Marrakesh, Morocco (2016)
The Paris Agreement entered into force. Focus shifted to creating the "rulebook" for its operationalization.
COP23: Bonn, Germany (2017)
Made progress on the Paris rulebook and launched the "Talanoa Dialogue" to encourage greater ambition.
COP24: Katowice, Poland (2018)
Finalized the "Katowice Climate Package," which completed most of the rulebook for the Paris Agreement.
COP25: Madrid, Spain (2019)
Extended work on unresolved issues, but ended without a major breakthrough on carbon market rules.
Not Held (2020)
The conference was postponed for one year due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.
COP26: Glasgow, UK (2021)
Led to the Glasgow Climate Pact, with a commitment to "phase down" coal and halt deforestation.
COP27: Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt (2022)
Agreed to create a landmark "Loss and Damage" fund to support vulnerable nations impacted by climate change.
COP28: Dubai, UAE (2023)
Hosted the first Global Stocktake and resulted in a historic agreement to "transition away from fossil fuels."
COP29: Baku, Azerbaijan (2024)
Focuses on establishing a new collective goal for climate finance to replace the previous $100 billion per year target.
Visualizing Key Achievements
From universal agreements to critical funding, the COP process has produced tangible milestones.
The Paris Agreement: Universal Participation
Unlike Kyoto, the Paris Agreement achieved near-universal buy-in, a landmark success for global diplomacy.
Milestones in Climate Finance
Key COPs established and operationalized funds to support developing nations in their climate efforts.
Persistent Challenges Ahead
Despite progress, significant gaps in ambition, implementation, and finance remain critical hurdles.
The Ambition & Implementation Gap
The first Global Stocktake revealed the world is significantly off track from the 1.5°C goal, with current policies leading to dangerous warming.
Barriers in Climate Finance
A broken system hinders the flow of funds to developing nations, creating a major barrier to implementing climate action.
Complex application processes
Stringent eligibility criteria
Heavy reliance on loans over grants
Lack of a clear definition for "climate finance"