The United Nations is hosting the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17), which is a convention on climate change, in Durban, South Africa. The Conference of the Parties has met every year since 1995. COP17 began on Nov. 28, 2011 and will end Dec. 9, 2011. Governmental representatives from close to 190 nations will be in attendance. Several nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and international organizations will also be at the convention.
In 1997, the third Conference of the Parties (COP3) created a protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC); the protocol was signed in Kyoto, Japan. The Kyoto protocol, as it came to be known, was created with the aim of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Kyoto Protocol as topic of discussion at COP17 in Durban
Thirty-seven countries agreed to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions at the COP3 meeting, and 141 countries had approved the agreement by 2005. The Kyoto protocol is set to be a major topic of discussion at the COP17 in Durban as some wealthy, developed nations would like to see developing nations commit more to cutting emissions.
When the Kyoto Protocol was first created, developing nations were not required to have caps on their emissions. Many developing nations have become some of the top emitters of greenhouse gases. The battle between wealthier developed nations and poorer developing nations over cutting emissions is expected to take center stage at the convention.
At the United Nations’ meeting on climate change in Durban, there will also be discussions about funding for the Green Climate Fund. The purpose of the fund is to help developing nations deal with the effects of climate change. The draft for the Green Climate Fund has been completed, and many hope that the Green Climate Fund will be finalized at the convention in Durban. The Green Climate Fund is set to begin operations in 2013.
