The Cop process is dysfunctional but far from rudderless

The Irish Times · Kevin O'Sullivan · 2026-11-05 06:00 UTC

The usual stallers must be defied if climate action is to be stepped up

People throw their hands up in the air when talking of the annual get-together of almost 200 countries for the climate “conference of the parties” – the Cop. But there is a chance Cop31 in Turkey this year can be different.

Yes, Cops are close to being dysfunctional. “What’s the point of it?” many ask; especially those battered from trying to wrestle with the dynamics of a venue where 40,000-plus gather and multiple meetings take place almost on a 24-hour basis – with, invariably, weak outcomes.

Some Cops staged by the UN of late have taken place in petrostates with national delegations contaminated by fossil fuel lobbyists. This sticks in the craw of those at the climate activism end of the spectrum of delegates – and rightly so.

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