COP 20: Preparing for the Road to Paris

COP 20 opened on December 1 and will continue until December 12, 2014 as organizations, individuals, government representatives, and participants from UN bodies and agencies gather in Lima, Peru, to work toward developing a global agreement to help pave the way for success at the COP21 world summit in Paris in 2015. On December 10, 2014 (just a few days from the time this article is being written), the high-level ministerial presence will arrive and include Presidents from Mexico, Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, Peru and possibly more. This participation represents a huge show of support for this work.

Last year, COP 19 in Poland attracted more than 8,300 attendees and 650 media personnel, and COP 20 organizers are hoping for high attendance—12,000—as the world prepares for the next step in global response to climate change.

The COP goes on for two weeks and the main focus is on preparing a draft for a new climate change agreement, including agreement on the definition of INDCs, the intended national determined contributions which will help define each country’s effort to bring down emissions.

COP 20 provides civil society, organizations, governments, and business leaders with opportunities to network and learn more about global trends and issues in responding to climate disruption. Many are working to try to help shift the negotiations to focus beyond economic competition so that a new climate change agreement can be reached.

You can follow what’s happening at COP 20 and get news after-the-fact by going to http://newsroom.unfccc.int/.