Conference of the Parties (COP) Guide

COP31: What You Need to Know

When is COP31?

COP31 will take place in 2026. The exact dates will be confirmed by the UNFCCC.

Where will COP31 be held?

COP31 is scheduled to take place in Türkiye, following the closing of COP30 in the Amazonian city of Belém, Brazil.

What will World Animal Protection focus on at COP31?

We will continue to advocate for:

• a just transition away from factory farming
• protection of forests and biodiversity
• recognition of animal welfare within climate negotiations
• stronger safeguards against Big Ag influence
• food systems that protect animals, people and the planet

Why Animals Matter in Climate Negotiations

Animals are deeply affected by the climate crisis — through habitat loss, extreme weather, exploitation and factory farming. But they are also part of the solution. Humane and sustainable food systems, habitat protection, and One Health approaches can reduce emissions, restore ecosystems and improve lives. We work year-round to make sure animals have a voice at COP.

COP29 Summary

Baku, Azerbaijan (2024)
A finance summit that failed to fund the future

Throughout COP29, we intensified our call for urgent action through our policy brief, making it clear that governments must wake up to the undeniable role of animal agriculture in the climate crisis.

Our message is simple yet urgent: the current food systems are unsustainable, and a just transition to a sustainable alternative is not a future option - it's a critical, immediate necessity.

We hosted several key events, using these platforms to demand that decision-makers act.

COP29 was expected to be a landmark moment for climate finance. While a $300 billion commitment was announced under the New Collective Quantified Goal, however it fell far short of the $1.3 trillion economists agree is necessary to meet climate targets and protect frontline communities.

Despite this pledge, the summit was ultimately a "great finance escape," dominated by delay, weak ambition, and inaction on industrial agriculture, leaving the world’s biggest emitter unchallenged.

The influence of industrial meat lobbyists was evident, drowning out the voices of small-scale farmers and climate justice advocates. Without bold leadership and a just transition away from factory farming, the 1.5°C target remains dangerously out of reach.

COP28 Summary

Dubai, United Arab Emirates (2023)
Food systems step into the spotlight; yet still under-addressed

Credit: World Animal Protection

For the first time, food systems featured prominently on the official agenda. World Animal Protection held major side events and co-hosted the Food4Climate Pavilion, highlighting the climate and cruelty costs of factory farming.

A major report, ‘How factory farming emissions are worsening climate disasters in the Global South.’ was launched to expose the role of meat and dairy corporations in global emissions and biodiversity loss.

However, while the Emirates Declaration promised transformation, it largely ignored the need to reduce industrial animal agriculture, a glaring omission in global climate planning.

World Animal Protection continues to call out false solutions like methane inhibitors and Big Ag's unchecked influence, advocating for a shift to agroecological, humane food systems as a true climate solution.

COP27 Summary

Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt (2022)
Small steps forward, but still avoiding the biggest emitter in the room

COP27 finally recognised agriculture’s link to climate change, with the inclusion of food systems in negotiations. Civil society made its voice heard, pushing hard for loss and damage funding and for sustainable food to be taken seriously.

However, COP27 failed to commit to phasing out fossil fuels or addressing emissions from factory farming, the largest source of methane and a top driver of deforestation and habitat loss.

World Animal Protection revealed that industrial farming emissions, including from companies like JBS, are being vastly underreported. Our Climate Change and Cruelty report made it clear: without tackling industrial livestock, there’s no path to 1.5°C.

COP26 Summary

Glasgow, United Kingdom (2021)
Ambitious rhetoric, but critical sectors left behind

World Animal Protection joined over 100 NGOs on a joint statement calling for food and animal agriculture to be central to COP26.

The conference emphasised tracking the science, with goals like “keeping 1.5°C alive” and phasing out coal. Unfortunately, we reported “food systems were rarely mentioned by leaders" during the event, despite clear evidence linking it to deforestation, methane emissions, and biodiversity loss. This undermined the pledges made in these areas.

COP25 Summary

Madrid, Spain (December 2019)
Hindered by delayed processes and a fragmented agenda

Ahead of COP25 World Animal Protection along with 14 other organizations released a policy brief, urging leaders attending the 2019 United Nations' Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP25) to take immediate action to reduce planet-warming emissions from food and intensive animal agriculture.

COP25 concluded with unresolved negotiations on markets and finance. While World Animal Protection and allied NGOs continued to raise awareness, there were no official commitments to address the emissions or expansion pressures from factory farming.

The omission of factory farming and food systems from climate negotiations drew criticism from civil society.

COP24 Summary

Katowice, Poland (December 2018)
Technical success, but silent on farming

COP24 finalized the “rulebook” under the Paris Agreement. Although it established how countries must report emissions transparently, it neglected to include industrial animal agriculture. World Animal Protection explicitly called for agriculture’s inclusion in climate policy, warning that ignoring it left a “critical gap” in addressing greenhouse gases.

Still from our COP28 animation film. Credit: World Animal Protection / Jolt Studios

COP FAQs

How many Conferences of the Parties have there been?

As of 2024, there have been 29 Conferences of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The first was held in 1995 in Berlin, Germany, and COP30 is scheduled for November 2025 in Belém, Brazil.

How often do COP meetings happen?

COP meetings take place annually. They are typically held towards the end of the calendar year, with participation from nearly every country in the world. The annual nature of COP reflects the urgency of the global response needed to address the climate crisis.

When did the Conference of the Parties start?

The first COP (COP1) was held in 1995 in Berlin. It marked the beginning of formal negotiations under the UNFCCC, which was established at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. These meetings aim to assess implementation progress and push forward global climate goals.

Where is the next COP being held?

COP30 will take place in Belém, Brazil, in November 2025. This marks a historic moment, as it will be the first time the Amazon region hosts the summit—an ecosystem critical to climate stability and severely threatened by industrial agriculture.

How can I attend a COP event?

Government delegates attend the COP, but it is also open to accredited observers, including NGOs, Indigenous representatives, youth groups, and scientists. Members of the public can attend side events or participate in civil society activities. The UNFCCC manages accreditation, and application timelines are announced ahead of each COP.

What is the Paris Agreement?

The Paris Agreement is a legally binding international treaty on climate change adopted at COP21 in 2015. Its main goal is to limit global temperature rise to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, while striving to keep it under 1.5°C. Without addressing factory farming, the Paris goals cannot be met. Achieving this goal requires major cuts in greenhouse gas emissions across all sectors, including food and farming.