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| 2010 United Nations Climate Change Conference | |
|---|---|
| Name | 2010 United Nations Climate Change Conference |
| Location | Cancún, Quintana Roo, Mexico |
| Dates | 29 November – 10 December 2010 |
| Venue | Moon Palace Hotel |
| Participants | Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), observer organizations |
| Previous | 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference |
| Next | 2011 United Nations Climate Change Conference |
2010 United Nations Climate Change Conference was an international meeting held in Cancún to advance multilateral negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change; it followed the stalled 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. The conference convened representatives from United States, European Union, China, India, Brazil, South Africa, Mexico, Russia, Japan, Canada, Australia, Norway, Switzerland, Nigeria, Kenya, Indonesia, Philippines, and other Parties to negotiate implementation of commitments under the Kyoto Protocol and to chart a path toward a future legal instrument. Delegations included heads of state, environment ministers, negotiators, and civil society from organizations such as the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Greenpeace, World Wildlife Fund, and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
The meeting aimed to salvage diplomatic momentum after outcomes from 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference and to operationalize decisions from the Bali Road Map, the Cancún Agreements, and prior sessions of the Conference of the Parties (COP) such as COP15. Delegates sought to clarify commitments related to the Kyoto Protocol's second commitment period, establish frameworks for REDD+, agree modalities for the Green Climate Fund, and advance mechanisms under the AWG-LCA and the AWG-KP. The objectives included operational rules for MRV, financial pledges from developed Parties, and frameworks for technology transfer via institutions such as the Climate Technology Centre and Network.
Delegations represented Parties listed in Annexes of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change including Annex I countries and G77 + China negotiating blocks, as well as observers from United Nations Environment Programme, OECD, Asian Development Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, and private sector entities. Key negotiators included envoys from United States envoy Todd Stern, China's delegation leadership, India's representatives, Brazil's negotiators, and the European Commission's climate commissioners. Negotiation tracks included the AWG-LCA and the AWG-KP, with chairing by officials from Mexico and international chairs drawn from prior COPs. Informal informals, contact groups, and plenary sessions were staged alongside ministerial roundtables, bilateral meetings among United States and China officials, and consultations with representatives of Small Island Developing States and Least Developed Countries.
Delegates adopted a package of decisions often referred to collectively as the Cancún Agreements that addressed adaptation, mitigation, finance, technology, and transparency. The conference established the Green Climate Fund as a financial mechanism, endorsed the establishment of the Climate Technology Centre and Network, and agreed to operationalize REDD+ safeguards and financing frameworks tied to national strategies submitted by Brazil, Indonesia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and other forested Parties. Parties recognized the need to limit global average temperature increase to below 2 °C, called for mitigation commitments from Annex I countries and mitigation actions by Non-Annex I Parties, and agreed enhanced MRV for developed and developing countries. The meeting resulted in a decision to launch a process toward a legally binding instrument, while also reaffirming the continuation of the Kyoto Protocol and opening discussion on its second commitment period.
Scientific inputs drew on assessments by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, national science academies, and agencies like the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to inform debates on greenhouse gas inventories, attribution science, and sea‑level rise risks for Small Island Developing States. Policymakers examined carbon market mechanisms spanning the Clean Development Mechanism under the Kyoto Protocol, proposals for linking emissions trading systems such as the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme and nascent regional markets, and safeguards for REDD+. Discussions addressed climate finance architecture including capitalization of the Green Climate Fund, fast‑start finance pledges from United States, Japan, and European Union members, mechanisms for technology transfer involving the World Intellectual Property Organization and United Nations Industrial Development Organization, and capacity building for Least Developed Countries and African Union members.
Outside the official venue, civil society organizations including Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, 350.org, Sierra Club, World Wildlife Fund, Oxfam International, and indigenous networks staged demonstrations highlighting demands for ambitious emissions cuts, finance for loss and damage, and rights of indigenous peoples from regions such as the Amazon Rainforest, Yucatán Peninsula, and Mesoamerica. Parallel side events featured panels convened by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, World Meteorological Organization, United Nations Development Programme, International Union for Conservation of Nature, universities such as Harvard University and University of Oxford, and research institutes including the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. Youth delegations, trade unions, private sector forums, and cultural programs engaged local communities in Cancún and promoted outreach via media from outlets like BBC, The New York Times, and Al Jazeera.
Observers in diplomatic corps, think tanks like the Brookings Institution and Chatham House, and environmental NGOs offered mixed assessments: some praised the recovery of trust after Copenhagen and the operational steps toward finance and REDD+, while others criticized the package for lacking immediate legally binding commitments and ambitious mitigation targets from major emitters such as China and United States. The conference influenced subsequent negotiations at COP17 in Durban and contributed to design elements later incorporated into the Paris Agreement negotiations, including finance mechanisms, MRV norms, and recognition of adaptation and loss and damage as components of international climate governance.
Category:United Nations climate change conferences