Cornell University at COP 23 (2017)

For the third consecutive year, Cornell sent delegates to the United Nations Climate Change Conference – Conference of the Parties. This marked the 23rd session of the Conference of the Parties – or COP – and took place from 6-17 November in Bonn, Germany, presided over by the Government of Fiji. It also marked the attendance of Cornell’s largest delegation – 10 researchers, 11 students, and two staff members.

First held in Berlin in 1995, the yearly United Nations Climate Change Conference serves as the meeting of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Parties. The Parties assess global progress in dealing with climate change. Two of the most well-known of these meetings are COP3, out of which came the Kyoto Protocol to establish legally binding obligations for developed countries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, and COP21, which resulted in the adoption of the Paris Agreement which governs climate change reduction measures from 2020.

As a  global leader in sustainability and climate change research, teaching, and engagement, Cornell was excited to attend the conference, once again.

Funding for COP23 was provided by the Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future, the Cornell Institute for Climate Smart Solutions, and Engaged Cornell.