Your COP25 Dictionary: Making Sense of the Jargon

This guide defines key terminology for the COP25 UN Climate Conference, explaining the goals of the Paris Agreement, the function of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), the mechanics of carbon markets under Article 6, and the financial commitments of developed nations to support developing countries via the Green Climate Fund.

• The Paris Agreement, adopted at COP21 in 2015 and entered into force on November 4, 2016, has 187 Parties. Its three major goals under Article 2 are to keep global temperature rise well below 2 degrees C (aiming for 1.5 degrees C) above pre-industrial levels, increase abilities to adapt to climate change and foster resilience, and align finance flows with low greenhouse gas emissions and climate-resilient development.
• Nationally determined contributions (NDCs) are climate action plans describing emissions-reduction targets, policies, and adaptation goals. Parties are expected to submit new, strengthened NDCs every five years. While most first NDCs were submitted in 2015, 68 countries have indicated they will enhance their NDCs by 2020. Additionally, countries agreed at COP24 that all NDCs should adhere to a common time frame beginning in 2031.
• Article 6 of the Paris Agreement enables the use of carbon markets to meet emissions-reduction goals, allowing countries or project developers to sell reductions to other countries. A critical challenge for Article 6 is preventing "double-counting," where two countries claim credit for the same emissions reductions.
• Developed countries committed at COP15 in 2009 to mobilize $100 billion annually by 2020 from public and private sources to support developing nations. The Green Climate Fund (GCF) is a primary channel for this finance; in 2014, governments pledged $10.3 billion in startup funding, though the United States has delivered only $1 billion of its $3 billion pledge. During its first replenishment period, 28 countries have pledged $9.7 billion.

APA

World Resources Institute (2019). Your COP25 Dictionary: Making Sense of the Jargon. https://www.wri.org/insights/your-cop25-dictionary-making-sense-jargon

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Your COP25 Dictionary: Making Sense of the Jargon. 2019. https://www.wri.org/insights/your-cop25-dictionary-making-sense-jargon.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Your COP25 Dictionary: Making Sense of the Jargon |date=4 December 2019 |url=https://www.wri.org/insights/your-cop25-dictionary-making-sense-jargon |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitute2019your, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Your COP25 Dictionary: Making Sense of the Jargon}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2019}, month = dec, url = {https://www.wri.org/insights/your-cop25-dictionary-making-sense-jargon}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }