Climate change conference of parties (COP 15) summary report

The stated aim of the Cop 15 in Copenhagen was to achieve a global agreement that would avert dangerous climate change – setting legally binding greenhouse gas reduction for industrialized countries and establishing financial and technological measures to help majority world
achieve more sustainable development. The Conference was therefore to mark the end of a two-year consultation period as set out in the Bali Action Plan (COP 13); a process for negotiating a global climate strategy to succeed the Kyoto Protocol. In 1997, state parties agreed to the Kyoto Protocol, as a mitigation strategy. The protocol binds developed countries by setting emission reduction targets for developed countries to reduce their Green House Gas (GHG) emissions by 5% below 1990 levels, by the 2012.

The Conference was also expected to consider a general agreement that in the new regime, developing countries will also be bound to reduce emissions that result from deforestation, degradation and other land use change practices in their territories. It is in this premise that formed part of the (COP 13) that industrialized countries should take a lead in tackling climate
change at home while transferring money and technology to developing countries along cleaner development paths.