What is COP15 and why is it important?


This year, from December 7-18, world leaders will meet in Copenhagen to determine how the world will deal with climate change. COP stands for Conference of the Parties, and COP15 in Copenhagen marks the 15th annual conference held by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). This year’s conference is crucially important because countries will be agreeing to a framework of action to succeed the current Kyoto Protocol, which runs out in 2012. Governments will establish an agreement on how to reduce and adapt to climate change at an extremely critical time in our history – the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) clearly specifies that our global emissions must peak and start to decline by 2015 if we are to avoid the most catastrophic impacts of climate change. We have less than 6 years to achieve this turn-around! This means that COP15 most likely marks our last chance for a global agreement that can lessen climate change before it is too late.

Hence, the importance of getting involved and letting your voice be heard! The delegation of Indian Youth being represented by IYCN,are going to Copenhagen to make sure the Indian government and world know that Indian Youth and citizens care deeply about this issue. We need our government to agree to a tough, effective, and fair international agreement to reduce and adapt to climate change. Make sure you get your voice heard and what other fellow Indians are saying about the issue and what are they looking forward to at COP15. We will also be blogging daily from the base camps set up from around the country to make sure you know how the Indian negotiators are representing you to the world.