At the same time, we are witnessing the ascendancy of authoritarian leaders in thrall to the fossil fuel industries whose representatives have, like cuckoos in the nest, captured the conferences and used them as fig leaves for their real intention: the untrammelled expansion of their self-serving empires.

Founded in 1995, the Conference of the Parties (Cop) aimed to unite global leaders to track climate progress, set national goals, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.