The Club of Rome, Earth4All, Al Gores’ Climate Reality Project, the Climate Governance Commission and others have made proposals to improve the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its Conference of the Parties (COP), in particular to enhance delivery, action and accountability on the UNFCCC objectives and obligations.
The proposals include strengthened criteria for the selection of COP Presidencies, enhanced disclosure and lobbying rules to prevent capture of COP by the fossil fuel industry, improved implementation and accountability mechanisms, the establishment of a permanent scientific advisory body, and the establishment of a Climate-Poverty Policy Envoy to enhance the links between the COP process and poverty and inequality.
These proposals were outlined in the Club of Rome’s COP Reform Letter, released during COP29, which gained significant media attention. For more information on the letter, see Climate COPS: A Call for More Effective Meetings.
Other proposals to COP include:
- Establishing a Global Citizens’ Assembly as a subsidiary body of the UNFCCC;
- Establishing an Independent Commission of the Paris Agreement Implementation and Compliance Committee which would have the mandate to a) set strengthened common standards for country reports on their Nationally Determined Contributions to carbon emission reductions, and b) systematically assess the country reports.