by Franck Magennis.
The 18th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP18) to the UNFCCC and the 8th session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP8) will take place from Monday, November 26 to Friday, December 7, 2012 at the Qatar National Convention Centre in Doha, Qatar.
Abdullah Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah, President of COP18/CMP8 told participants at the opening ceremony in Doha that “Climate change is a challenge for humanity” and that the Conference was a “golden opportunity – we must make best use of it”.
One important discussion during the two week conference will center on a new emissions cap-and-trade agreement, as the first commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol is scheduled to expire this year.
The opening of the talks in Doha comes shortly after the publication of a new report by the World Bank, which includes a projected temperature increase of up to 4 degrees C by 2100, and which warns that the devastating impact of a world thus warmed will be felt by all countries, with the poorest nations being hardest hit.
The Climate Law Blog will be reporting on the negotiations throughout the COP. For more information about the COP, see the UNFCCC website and the COP website.
