Overview

Since their inception, the United Nations Climate Change Conferences-or Conference of the Parties (COPs)have shaped the global response to climate change. These high-stakes gatherings bring together world leaders, scientists, activists, and policymakers to negotiate the future of our planet. Yet, despite increasing media attention, the inner workings of these forums remain complex and often misunderstood. As COP30 takes place in 2025, this book takes a critical look at the past three decades of climate negotiations. Have these conferences driven real progress? Through the voices of key Canadian figures-diplomats, scientists, NGO leaders, journalists, and policymakers-this book offers a rare, behind-the-scenes perspective on the triumphs, setbacks, and turning points that have defined the COPs. With firsthand accounts and candid reflections, contributors share personal experiences, pivotal moments, and insights into Canada's evolving role in international climate diplomacy. From historic agreements to missed opportunities, their stories provide a nuanced view of the challenges and achievements of global climate negotiations. Written for a wide audience-including students, professionals, and anyone passionate about climate action-this book sheds light on the COP process and its impact. As the climate crisis intensifies, it asks a pressing question: Can these negotiations still deliver the solutions we so urgently need?

Full Product Details

Author:   Thomas Burelli ,  Alexandre Lillo ,  Lynda Hubert Ta ,  Lauren Touchant
Publisher:   University of Ottawa Press
Imprint:   University of Ottawa Press
ISBN:  

9780776645575

ISBN 10:   0776645579
Pages:   400
Publication Date:   04 November 2025
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Not yet available  
This item is yet to be released. You can pre-order this item and we will dispatch it to you upon its release.

Table of Contents

List of Figures List of Tables List of Abbreviations INTRODUCTION Thomas Burelli, Alexandre Lillo, Elie Klee, Lynda Hubert Ta and Lauren Touchant 1. 30 Years On, Time to Take Stock 2. A Canadian Perspective 3. Recruiting Contributors to the Book 4. Organization of the Book CHAPTER 1 COP 101: Understanding What Climate COPs Are Lynda Hubert Ta, Elie Klee, Thomas Burelli, Alexandre Lillo, and Lauren Touchant 1.1. Supreme Decision-Making Bodies to Help Implement International Climate Agreements and Achieve Their Objectives 1.2. Decisions of Varying Importance, Including Founding Agreements 1.3. A Fair and Collaborative Organization, A Continuous Negotiation Process 1.4. A Diversified and Growing Participation 1.5. Efficiency and Relevance Called Into Question CHAPTER 2 History of the COP from COP1 to COP30 Jean Lemire 2.1. Scientific Evidence 2.2. The Beginnings of Environmental Diplomacy 2.3. Common but Differentiated Responsibilities 2.4. Conferences of the Parties and the Kyoto Protocol 2.5. The Paris Agreement 2.6. The Road to Belém CHAPTER 3 So COP, What Have You Done with Your Life? Richard Kinley 3.1. Let’s Take a Step Back 3.2. What Is the COP Really? 3.3. A Thematic Chronology of the COPs 3.4. Approaching COP30 3.5. How Could COPs Help Governments Be More Ambitious? 3.6. Conclusion CHAPTER 4 A Fair, Funded, and Fossil-Free Future: A Parliamentarian’s Role in International Climate Action Rosa Galvez 4.1. My Introduction to COP 4.2. Nomination to the Senate 4.3. COP as a Parliamentarian: A New Experience 4.4. COP26: A Turning Point for Climate Finance 4.5. Attending COP27 and COP28 4.6. Moving Forward: The Need for Greater Ambition 4.7. Conclusion CHAPTER 5 COPs Are Important Gatherings: They Keep Climate Change on the Map Elizabeth May CHAPTER 6 What It Takes to Represent Canada at Climate COPs: A Federal Government Perspective Catherine Stewart 6.1. Let Us Begin with Formal COP Negotiations 6.2. Moving Beyond Formal COP Negotiations 6.3. Then There Is the Programming Side of Things 6.4. A Gathering That Shapes Our Activities Throughout the Year 6.5. There Is Also What We Take Away from COP, the Commitments We Make, and How We Apply Them at Home CHAPTER 7 What Now? A Millennial’s Take on a Decade of COPs Dominique Souris 7.1. The Beginning 7.2. Navigating the “Age of Bullshit” 7.3. Building and Belonging in the UNFCCC 7.4. Building a Future Beyond CHAPTER 8 Advancing Decarbonization and Decolonization: Lessons from Indigenous Peoples Participation in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Graeme Reed 8.1. Opening Words 8.2. Breathing Life into the FWG and the Platform 8.3. Lessons from the Creation of FWG for the Future of the UNFCCC 8.4. Conclusion CHAPTER 9 ᓯᓚ ᐊᔾᔨᐅᔨᓐᓇᐃᖅᑐᖅ — Sila Ajjiujunnaiqtuq — The Weather Has Changed: Inuit Perspectives and Experiences from 30 Years of Climate Change COPs Lisa Qiluqqi Koperqualuk, Sara Olsvig, Piita Irniq, Alexina Kublu, Dalee Sambo Dorough, Sheila Watt-Cloutier, Miyuki Qiajunnguaq Daorana, Susie-Ann Kudluk, and Anne Simpson 9.1. Inuit Voices and the Fight for Climate Justice 9.2. Inuit Action Over the Last 30 Years 9.3. Where We Are 9.4. The Future of Inuit Advocacy at Climate Change COPs: Youth Perspectives 9.5. Moving Forward CHAPTER 10 Otipemisiwak and Climate Leadership: The Métis Nation at UNFCCC Dane de Souza and Kate Gillis CHAPTER 11 The UNFCCC COP: An Imperfect—and Essential—Civic Space for Climate Multilateralism Caroline Brouillette CHAPTER 12 Municipalities on the Front Line: Local Voices in Global Climate Policy Berry Vrbanovic and Lauren Touchant CHAPTER 13 COPs Are Slow, But Cities Are on the Go David Miller and Lauren Touchant CHAPTER 14 From 2015 to COVID, We Were Still Dreaming Patrick Rondeau 14.1. A Crisis of Confidence 14.2. The Road to Belém CHAPTER 15 The UN Climate Conferences: A Driver for “Impact Intrapreneurship” Christophe Aura 15.1. My Path to Intrapreneurship 15.2. An Environment Favourable to Improbable Connections 15.3. Developing a Sense of Shared Responsibility 15.4. The COPs’ Legacy on Impact Intrapreneurship: The Feeling of Being Part of Something Bigger Than Ourselves CHAPTER 16 The Business of COP: How the Corporate Sector Took on Climate John Stackhouse 16.1. A Personal Journey Through COPs 16.2. The Twin Journeys of COP and Commerce 16.3. The Economy, Never Far from Sight CHAPTER 17 Good COP, Bad COP: 20 Years of Climate Change Negotiations Mark Purdon 17.1. Kyoto Dreamin’ 17.2. Lessons Learned About COP 17.3. The Shift from Liberal Environmentalism to Developmental Environmentalism 17.4. Towards Liberal Developmental Environmentalism? 17.5. Conclusion List of Contributors

Reviews

""This is a 'must-read' volume for those concerned about the future of multilateralism and for the fate of global collaborative action on climate change and that of environmental and human health. Through a wide range of diverse and often deeply personal stories, this important volume paints a vivid picture of the anger, ambition, boredom, concern, courage, disappointment, failure, success, determination and, ultimately I am pleased to note, of the hope that comprises the global climate change talks determining our collective future."" - Timothy Hodges, Professor of Practice, Global Governance, Institute for the Study of International Development, McGill University

Author Information

Thomas Burelli is Associate Professor in the Civil Law Section of the Faculty of Law at the University of Ottawa, where he teaches international environmental law, natural resources and video game law. Thomas Burelli participated to the COP26 in person in Glasgow. He also followed COP27 and COP28. Thomas Burelli has published more than 50 scientific articles in the field of international environmental law. Alexandre Lillo is Professor at the Departement des sciences juridiques, at the Universite du Quebec Montreal (UQAM). He teaches international environmental law and environmental law at both the undergrad and graduate level. He has been a COP observer for a Quebec-base NGO (Centre quebecois du droit de l'environnement) and attended COP 26 in person. He has published numerous papers relating to international and national environmental law, including peer reviewed articles and media pieces. Elie Klee graduated in 2020 with an LL.M. from the University of Ottawa and a Master degree from Aix-Marseille University (France), specializing in public international law. Since 2022, he has been a Ph.D. student in an international co-tutelle program. His research focuses on the disappearance of states under international law as a result of climate change. His work analyzes the way in which international law can apprehend the disappearance of a State as a result of rising sea levels and temperatures, and the evolutions of the legal framework surrounding this phenomenon. He is interested in the consequences that the loss by a state of its constituent elements entails, both in terms of the status of the state that has disappeared, or is doomed to disappear, and for the rights of its population and the sovereign prerogatives of the state.

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