UNFCCC Summits Post-Kyoto - Clarity Desk Hub IAS

After the Kyoto Protocol (1997), it became clear that:

Binding targets for only developed countries were politically unsustainable
Major emitters were either outside the system or withdrawing
Climate governance needed a new architecture

So, friends let’s look at the UNFCCC Summits Post-Kyoto:

COP	Year	Place	Core Outcome / Significance
COP 11 / CMP 1	2005	Montreal, Canada	Kyoto Protocol entered into force; first CMP; talks on post-2012 commitments
COP 12 / CMP 2	2006	Nairobi, Kenya	Focus on adaptation; climate change recognised as a present reality
COP 13 / CMP 3	2007	Bali, Indonesia	Bali Action Plan; negotiations on mitigation, adaptation, finance, technology
COP 14 / CMP 4	2008	Poznań, Poland	Preparatory COP; finance mechanisms and technical groundwork
COP 15 / CMP 5	2009	Copenhagen, Denmark	Copenhagen Accord (non-binding); failure of binding targets; North–South divide
COP 16 / CMP 6	2010	Cancún, Mexico	Cancún Agreements; Adaptation Framework; Green Climate Fund (conceptual)
COP 17 / CMP 7	2011	Durban, South Africa	Durban Platform; mandate for a universal legal agreement
COP 18 / CMP 8	2012	Doha, Qatar	Doha Amendment; second Kyoto period (2013–20); symbolic impact
COP 19 / CMP 9	2013	Warsaw, Poland	Loss and Damage introduced as a formal agenda item
COP 20 / CMP 10	2014	Lima, Peru	INDCs introduced; blueprint for Paris Agreement
COP 21 / CMP 11	2015	Paris, France	Paris Agreement; NDCs; universal participation; 1.5–2°C goal
COP 22 / CMA 1	2016	Marrakech, Morocco	“Action COP”; focus on implementation
COP 23	2017	Bonn, Germany	Fiji presidency; rulebook negotiations
COP 24	2018	Katowice, Poland	Paris Rulebook adopted; transparency & reporting norms
COP 25	2019	Madrid, Spain	Carbon markets (Article 6); largely inconclusive
COP 26	2021	Glasgow, UK	Glasgow Climate Pact; coal “phase-down”; net-zero push
COP 27	2022	Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt	Decision to establish Loss and Damage Fund
COP 28	2023	Dubai, UAE	First Global Stocktake; transition away from fossil fuels
COP 29	2024	Baku, Azerbaijan	Climate finance focus; NCQG negotiations; “Finance COP”

CCC → Climate Change Conference
CMP → Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol

🧠 How Should You to Remember This

❌ Not as 18 COPs
✅ But as evolutionary stages

Kyoto era → binding but unequal
Copenhagen crisis → trust collapse
Durban–Lima → rebuilding architecture
Paris → universal, flexible framework
Post-Paris COPs → implementation & finance

Post-Kyoto UNFCCC summits reflect the gradual transition from rigid, top-down emission targets to a universal, bottom-up climate governance framework culminating in the Paris Agreement and its ongoing implementation.

Now, we examine in detail the major UNFCCC summits in the post-Kyoto period, tracing the evolution of international climate negotiations up to the Paris Summit. The Paris Summit and the post-Paris summits, along with their outcomes, are discussed separately in the subsequent sections.

Major UNFCCC Summits Before the Paris Summit (2015)

🇨🇦 Montreal, Canada (2005) — COP 11 / CMP 1

This was the operational birth of Kyoto.

Why Montreal mattered

Adopted the detailed rulebook of the Kyoto Protocol
Established compliance procedures, accounting rules, and reporting formats

📌 Without Montreal, Kyoto would have remained a treaty on paper.

🇮🇩 Bali, Indonesia (2007) — COP 13 / CMP 3

Bali marked the first serious attempt to move beyond Kyoto.

Bali Road Map

A two-year negotiation roadmap
Aimed to finalise a post-Kyoto agreement by COP 15 (2009)

Bali Action Plan (core component)

Structured climate negotiations around five pillars:

Shared vision
Mitigation
Adaptation
Technology
Finance

📌 Bali formally acknowledged that developing countries must act, but only with finance and technology support.

🇵🇱 Poznań, Poland (2008) — COP 14 / CMP 4

Poznań strengthened the adaptation architecture.

Key Outcome

Launched the Adaptation Fund under Kyoto
Funding sources:
- Government and private donations
- 2% levy on CERs generated under CDM

📌 This linked carbon markets → adaptation finance for vulnerable countries.

🇩🇰 Copenhagen, Denmark (2009) — COP 15 / CMP 5

Perhaps the most famous failure in climate diplomacy.

Copenhagen Accord

Non-binding political agreement
Introduced the 2°C temperature limit (reviewable towards 1.5°C)
Developed countries pledged:
- USD 30 billion (2010–12)
- USD 100 billion per year by 2020

📌 Why Copenhagen failed:

No legally binding targets
Deep trust deficit between developed and developing countries

Yet, it quietly shaped Paris by introducing temperature goals and finance commitments.

🇲🇽 Cancún, Mexico (2010) — COP 16 / CMP 6

Cancún repaired the political damage of Copenhagen.

Major Decisions

Formal acceptance of:
- 2°C goal
- Consideration of 1.5°C
Decision to establish the Green Climate Fund (GCF)
Inclusion of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) under CDM (with safeguards)

📌 Cancún restored faith in multilateral climate negotiations.

💰 Green Climate Fund (GCF)

Designated as an operating entity of UNFCCC’s financial mechanism
Decision taken at Cancún (2010)
Operationalised at Durban (2011)
Headquarters: Songdo, Incheon, South Korea

Purpose

Transfer resources from developed → developing countries
Support mitigation and adaptation
Intended to be the centre-piece of the $100 billion/year climate finance goal

🇿🇦 Durban, South Africa (2011) — COP 17 / CMP 7

Durban was a turning point.

Durban Platform for Enhanced Action

Decision to adopt a universal legal agreement
Applicable to all countries
Deadline: 2015

Other Outcomes

Secured second phase of Kyoto
Approved the GCF Governing Instrument

📌 Durban marks the formal shift away from Kyoto’s rigid CBDR-only model.

🇶🇦 Doha, Qatar (2012) — COP 18 / CMP 8

Doha Amendment

Extended Kyoto Protocol till 2020
Second commitment period: 2013–2020

Reality Check

Covered only ~15% of global emissions
Major exits/non-participation:
- Canada (withdrew)
- Japan, Russia, New Zealand (refused)
- USA (never ratified)
- Developing countries exempt

📌 Politically symbolic, climatically insignificant.

🇵🇱 Warsaw, Poland (2013) — COP 19 / CMP 9

Warsaw quietly shaped the Paris architecture.

Two Crucial Contributions

1️⃣ INDCs Coined

Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs)
Countries to publicly declare climate actions before Paris

📌 Drawback:

Voluntary
Ambition depended on domestic politics

2️⃣ Warsaw International Mechanism

Addressed Loss and Damage
Supported countries affected by:
- Heatwaves
- Floods
- Sea-level rise
- Desertification

🇵🇪 Lima, Peru (2014) — COP 20 / CMP 10

Lima was the final rehearsal before Paris.

Key Outcomes

Reaffirmed 2°C goal
Urged countries to finalise INDCs by 2015
Provided clarity on:
- Transparency
- Differentiation
- Reporting

📌 Lima ensured Paris would not collapse like Copenhagen.

🇮🇳 India’s INDC Commitments (2015)

India announced its INDCs ahead of COP 21:

33–35% reduction in emissions intensity of GDP (from 2005 levels) by 2030
40% installed electricity capacity from non-fossil sources
Additional carbon sink of 2.5–3 billion tonnes CO₂ via afforestation

Finance Requirement

USD 2.5 trillion (2015–2030)

🇮🇳 India’s Climate Finance Instruments

National Adaptation Fund on Climate Change (NAFCC)

Introduced in Budget 2015
Funded through coal cess
Implementing entity: NABARD
Purpose: Support State-level adaptation projects

Distinction (Very Important)

NCEF → Clean energy & technology
NAFCC → Adaptation

⚖️ Developed vs Developing: The Core Conflict

US & EU: Demand deeper cuts from emerging economies
India: Defends CBDR and climate justice
India’s position:
- Poverty alleviation remains primary
- No compromise on developmental carbon space

📌 This ideological conflict shaped Paris’s flexible architecture.

Conclusion

The summits preceding Paris gradually transformed climate governance from a fractured, Kyoto-centric regime into a universal, finance-backed, and nationally driven framework that culminated in the Paris Agreement.