A COP Glossary: What does it all mean? (COP31 Edition)

As the UN Climate Conference (COP31) begins in Antalya, Türkiye in exactly one week, the spotlight on the climate crisis has never been brighter. But for those who don’t live and breathe climate policy, this conference can be a confusing blur of acronyms and buzzwords.

So we've gathered some of the most common (and newest) terms being used around COP31 to demystify one of the most important negotiations on climate action.

Hope this helps!

COP

Conference Of the Parties, more commonly referred to as ‘COP’, is a global climate summit held every year by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). 196 countries are members of the UNFCCC. Its aim is to review how countries are meeting their climate commitments and to agree on new action to cut emissions, adapt to climate impacts and support the most vulnerable countries. This year is the 31st COP, held in Antalya, Türkiye, from 9 to 20 November 2026, under a joint Türkiye–Australia presidency arrangement. Together they are pushing three goals for 2035: getting 35% of the world’s energy from electricity, halving the growth in global waste, and cutting energy use in buildings by at least 25%.

COP PRESIDENCY

The COP Presidency is the country (or countries) that hosts and leads the annual climate summit. The presidency sets the agenda, chairs the talks and steers countries toward an agreement. Brazil held the presidency after hosting COP30 in Belém in November 2025, led by COP30 President André Corrêa do Lago. A presidency’s term runs from one summit to the next, so Brazil stays in charge until COP31 opens in Antalya. During that time, the COP30 and incoming COP31 presidencies have been working together with countries and observers to prepare for this year’s talks. Brazil’s main task has been a roadmap on transitioning away from fossil fuels in a just, orderly and equitable manner, which builds on the commitment made at COP28. It presented the key elements of this roadmap in Bonn in June 2026, and the roadmap is expected to feed into the COP31 negotiations.

ELECTRIFICATION

Electrification means replacing technologies that burn fossil fuels directly with electric alternatives, such as moving from petrol cars to electric vehicles or from gas boilers to heat pumps. When that electricity comes from renewable sources like solar and wind, electrification is one of the fastest ways to cut emissions. It is the flagship goal of this year’s summit. The COP31 Presidency has proposed a global target, nicknamed “35 by 35,” to raise the share of final energy demand met by electricity from just over 20% today to 35% by 2035.

JOETAFF

JOETAFF stands for a “Just, Orderly and Equitable Transition Away From Fossil Fuels.” The wording comes from the COP28 outcome in Dubai, where countries agreed on a call for transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems in a just, orderly and equitable manner. It was the first time the main cause of climate change was mentioned in international climate agreements. he phrase remains a key issue in the talks. The COP30 Presidency has spent the past year drafting a global roadmap for this transition, covering both the demand for and the production of fossil fuels, and it is due to be unveiled at COP31.

OVERSHOOT

Overshoot means global warming temporarily going above the 1.5 °C limit set in the Paris Agreement, with the aim of bringing temperatures back down later. The UN Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Emissions Gap Report 2026, titled “The Point of Return,” was published on 21 October. It concludes that limiting warming to 1.5 °C with little or no overshoot is no longer possible. Its best-case scenario now limits peak warming to 1.7–1.8 °C around mid-century, then brings temperatures back to 1.5 °C or below by the end of the century. Even that scenario requires global emissions to fall by 18% by 2030, 45% by 2035 and 69% by 2040, compared to 2025 levels. Under existing policies, the world is on track for 2.8 °C of warming by 2100. Every five years of CO₂ emissions at current levels raises peak warming by around 0.1 °C. That is why the focus of the talks is shifting to keeping any overshoot as small and as short as possible.

LOSS AND DAMAGE FUND

The Loss and Damage Fund was formally agreed at COP28 in Dubai to support countries facing irreversible climate impacts — such as floods, droughts, or rising seas — that go beyond what they can adapt to. At COPs, negotiators decide how the fund will be governed, financed, and made accessible to the most vulnerable nations.

In October 2026, the fund made its first-ever allocation. Its board agreed to set aside $20 million to help Nepal recover from the devastating climate-driven flood it suffered in August, which killed more than 1,400 people and left thousands missing. The money is a milestone but far from enough: it covers less than one percent of Nepal’s estimated $4.71 billion recovery and reconstruction needs, and the fund has only around $350 million to allocate, with a current cap of $20 million per project.

PARIS AGREEMENT

The Paris Agreement is a legally binding international treaty on climate change. It was created by 196 parties at COP21 in Paris in 2015. The goal of the Paris Agreement is to limit global warming to well below 2°C, preferably 1.5°C and limit greenhouse gas emissions to Net-Zero. It also calls on rich countries to provide climate finance to support poorer nations. Every five years, countries must update their national climate plans, known as NDCs. 

NDCs

National Determined Contributions (NDCs) are non-binding national pledges and plans by each country to reduce national emissions and actions they will take to build resilience and adapt to the impacts of climate change. The aim is to hold warming well below 2°C, preferably 1.5°C as set out in the Paris Agreement.

1.5 DEGREES

1.5°C degrees above pre-industrial levels was identified by climate scientists, in the IPCC report, to be the tipping point. 2°C of heating was regarded as the outer limit of safety, beyond which the impacts of climate change – heat waves, floods, sea level rises, storms and other extreme weather – would become catastrophic. However, small island states pointed to science that showed they’d be inundated, by sea level rises and storm surges, above 1.5°C. 

NET ZERO

Net zero refers to the balance between the amount of greenhouse gas produced and removing an equivalent amount from the atmosphere. Under the 2015 Paris Agreement, 197 countries agreed to try to limit temperature rises to 1.5°C. To achieve this aim, countries need to reduce CO2 emissions to net zero by 2050. However, net zero would only be viable if every country in the world were moving in the same direction and at the same pace.

IPCC REPORT

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is a UN body which evaluates climate change science and releases reports commissioned by the world’s 195 national governments. The reports examine scientific evidence for climate change including: the extent to which human activity is the cause,environmental impacts, and adaption to and mitigation of climate change. Their results are an agreed upon basis for COP negotiations.

CLIMATE JUSTICE

Climate justice looks at the climate crisis and climate action through a human rights lens, relating the causes and effects of climate change to concepts of environmental justice and social justice. At the forefront is an acknowledgement that climate change does not impact all people equally — the people and areas least responsible for climate change broadly suffer its gravest consequences.

JUST TRANSITION

A Just Transition prioritises the social interventions needed to secure workers’ rights and livelihoods when economies are shifting to sustainable production, combating climate change and protecting biodiversity. A healthy, fairer economy and greener future can and should co-exist. The process for achieving this should be a fair one that does not cost workers or community members their livelihoods.

FOSSIL FUELS

Fossil fuels (coal, oil, gas) continue to play a dominant role in global energy systems but they are a non-renewable, finite energy resource and are incredibly harmful to people and the planet. They release carbon dioxide when they burn which increases global heating, and are one of the major drivers of the climate crisis. Fossil fuel extraction has also been heavily linked with human rights violations.

RENEWABLE ENERGY

Renewable energy is generated from natural processes that are replenished within a human time scale. They’re often promoted as an alternative to fossil fuels as their impact on the environment is usually much lower. They can be generated from solar, wind, ocean, hydropower, biomass, geothermal resources etc. Renewable energy sources can be inaccessible, however, and there have been issues surrounding scalability and land rights.

FOSSIL FINANCE

Fossil fuel companies can only build new coal mines, gas pipelines or oil wells because of the money they get from different sources — whether that’s borrowing from banks, selling shares to investors, or getting subsidies from governments. This is what we mean by fossil fuel finance. Ending this flow of money is one of our best chances of keeping fossil fuels in the ground.

FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS

A financial institution is a company engaged in the business of dealing with financial and monetary transactions such as deposits, loans, investments, and currency exchange. This includes banks, trust companies, insurance companies, brokerage firms, and investment dealers.

CLIMATE MITIGATION

Climate mitigation refers to efforts to cut or prevent the emission of greenhouse gases in order to keep global heating below 1.5C. It is also used to talk about attempts to remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. Mitigation can include using new technologies, swapping fossil fuels for clean energy sources, behaviour changes, or making older technology more energy efficient.

CLIMATE ADAPTATION

Climate adaptation refers to the changes in processes, practices, and structures that have been developed to respond to the impacts of climate change that are already happening, as well as to prepare for future impacts. There is no one size fits all approach, and communities from all over the world must be involved in conversations around climate adaptation.

CLIMATE FINANCE

To solve the climate crisis, governments need to commit to reducing emissions. Rich nations need to put money into supporting low-income countries to be able to set ambitious climate related targets and deal with climate impacts. In COP language, this amount of money needed to address climate change is called ‘climate finance’. It should respond to the principle of ‘common but differentiated responsibilities’.

CLIMATE DEBT

Global South countries suffer the worst impacts of the climate crisis, yet have contributed the least. They are left with no option but to borrow to finance climate mitigation and adaptation, and fund recovery after an extreme climate event, thus creating debt. Climate finance – which should respond to the principle of ‘common but differentiated responsibilities’ – is currently placing a financial burden onto the shoulders of the Global South.

FRONTLINE COMMUNITIES

Frontline communities are those that experience the impacts of the climate crisis first and most severely. This includes those whose homes are on islands that are at risk of being underwater and communities who have been forced to live next to harmful fossil fuel extraction sites. Many frontline communities are often also impacted by socio-economic factors.

MAPA

MAPA stands for ‘Most Affected People & Areas’ — the people and regions who are the least responsible for, but hit the hardest by, the impacts of the climate crisis. Factors are not just limited to geographical aspects but also socio-economic aspects that systematically make it difficult to adapt. MAPA also includes Black, Indigenous and People of Colour and marginalised sectors in Global North countries as well as those in Global South countries.

GLOBAL NORTH

Global North is used to describe a grouping of countries with similar socio-economic and political characteristics. The Global North is a term often used to identify higher-income countries on one side of the so-called divide. The term does not inherently refer to a geographical North.

GLOBAL SOUTH

Global South is used to describe a grouping of countries with similar socio-economic and political characteristics. The Global South is a term often used to identify lower-income countries on one side of the so-called divide. The term does not inherently refer to a geographical South.

GREENWASHING

Greenwashing is the process of conveying a false impression by providing misleading information or withholding information about how environmentally sound a person, a company, or a product is. People and companies often use this misleading information as a ‘social license’ to gloss over their contributions to, or complicity in, the climate crisis.

CLIMATE TIPPING POINTS

Tipping points are thresholds within the Earth’s climate system that, once crossed, can trigger irreversible and self-reinforcing changes — such as the Amazon rainforest turning into savanna, melting ice sheets, or dying coral reefs. Scientists now warn that some of these tipping points are already being reached, making COP31’s decisions on fossil-fuel phaseout and environment protection more urgent than ever.