COP27: Climate conference jargon decoded

The document decodes key climate jargon used at COP27, explaining the roles of the UNFCCC, the Paris Agreement, and the Kyoto Protocol, while defining concepts such as 'loss and damage', 'climate finance', and 'just transition'.

• The Paris Agreement, signed in December 2015 at COP21, is a legally binding treaty adopted by 196 countries that aims to keep global warming "well below" 2C through individual national targets.
• The Kyoto Protocol, signed in 1997 and ratified in 2005, implemented UNFCCC principles via international emissions trading and independent monitoring, and established the principle of 'Common but differentiated responsibilities' (CBDR), which posits that developed nations should lead climate action due to their historical emissions.
• Climate finance refers to a 2010 agreement made at COP16 in Cancun, Mexico, where wealthy nations pledged a minimum of $100 billion annually by 2020 to assist developing countries with climate mitigation; this pledge was later extended to 2025 during the Paris conference.
• The document defines 'loss and damage' as an international mechanism established at the 2013 COP19 conference in Warsaw, Poland, to address losses already suffered by developing countries, though quantification and payment remain controversial at COP27.
• The text distinguishes between 'greenwashing', where organizations make misleading environmental claims, and 'greenhushing', where companies set carbon reduction targets but do not disclose them to avoid scrutiny or respond to public mood changes.

APA

Broom, D. (2022). COP27: Climate conference jargon decoded. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/cop27-climate-jargon-explained/

Chicago

Broom, Douglas. COP27: Climate conference jargon decoded. World Economic Forum, 2022. https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/cop27-climate-jargon-explained/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Broom |first1=Douglas |title=COP27: Climate conference jargon decoded |publisher=World Economic Forum |date=10 November 2022 |url=https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/cop27-climate-jargon-explained/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{broom2022cop27, author = {Broom, Douglas}, title = {{COP27: Climate conference jargon decoded}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2022}, month = nov, url = {https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/cop27-climate-jargon-explained/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }