How UNFCCC's COP Can Achieve Carbon Neutrality

Abstract

International conferences such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change's (UNFCCC) Conference of the Parties (COP) attract over 25,000 attendees from around the world and have an alarming carbon footprint. Carbon neutral events have increased in popularity, and help to curb large amounts of emissions and slow climate change. We discuss techniques to reduce carbon emissions without settling for offsets from an individual and conference scale. The UNFCCC COP can reduce its overall emissions significantly by implementing a hybrid conference model and more sustainable conference choices. COP can lead the way in establishing a sustainable model to advance the climate agenda without exacerbating the global climate crisis.