20 November 2023 • 4 minute read

Staying on top of COP: Key resources

Background and context

UNFCCC Homepage	Alongside technical information provided by the UNFCCC Secretariat on the process of and decisions taken at COPs over the years, and news related to the Paris Agreement, the UNFCCC website also provides regular thought pieces on key climate issues and explainers on topics like nationally determined contributions.
COP28 Presidency	The dedicated web page, created by the COP28 Presidency, for COP28. It includes detail on plans for COP28, including the different zones at the conference and the thematic programme.
Carbon Brief	Carbon Brief provides comprehensive coverage of developments in climate science, policy, negotiations and legislation. Its “In Focus” section includes a number of helpful resources including explainers on key concepts and country and commodity profiles.
IPCC, AR6 Synthesis Report on Climate Change (2023)	The sixth assessment report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change was published earlier this year and includes the latest knowledge on the science of climate change, and updated results from its last report. The “Summary for Policymakers” is a good place to start.
IPCC, Annex I: Glossary (2018)	The glossary prepared by the IPCC and annexed to its special report on the impacts of global warming published in 2018 is a valuable resource for understanding the specific words and phrases used at COP and in relation to climate change.
NASA, Global Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet	NASA’s dedicated climate page which provides the latest climate news and useful explainers on the causes, evidence, effects of and solutions to climate change.
Climate Change – The Facts (Documentary)	A one hour documentary featuring Sir David Attenborough which explores the science of climate change, including interviews with leading climate scientists.

Coverage of negotiations

IISD Earth Negotiations Bulletin	IISD provide daily reporting on UN environment and development negotiations from the climate COP and Bonn climate change conference to SDG events. Visit the website during the conference for up to date, day by day reporting, or sign up to receive daily bulletins.
World Resources Institute, COP28 Resource Hub	WRI’s COP28 Resource Hub contains lots of interesting background reading and will also be updated during the negotiations. To make sure you don’t miss any developments, you can sign up to regular updates.

Deep dives

World Bank, Climate Explainer Series	The World Bank’s Climate Explainer Series, launched in 2021 and updated regularly (the last update was added in July 2023) is a good resource for learning more about specific topics, including “Food Security and Climate Change” and “Measurement, Reporting and Verification of Carbon Credits”.
UNFCCC, NDC Registry	The public registry of NDCs communicated by Parties to the Paris Agreement, which is maintained by the UNFCCC Secretariat. It represents a complete collection of the NDCs submitted by each state.
United Nations, Finance & Justice	This page provides information on the importance of climate finance and a summary of the UN Secretary-General’s Acceleration Agenda, which contains actions for governments, businesses and financial leaders when it comes to climate finance.