Main content


Bonn and beyond: why climate change is relevant to your business

The annual United Nations Climate Change Conference recently took place in Bonn. The conference, better known as the Conference of the Parties or COP, brings together the state parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (the UNFCCC) and other stakeholders to assess global progress in dealing with climate change. Notable achievements of the COPs include the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement. This year´s conference, COP 23, was hosted by Fiji and focused on implementing and operationalising the Paris Agreement, which entered into force last year.

While discussions between governments about international treaties may seem a long way from the day-to-day operation of your business, they are the first step in the development of a legal framework that has already impacted, and will increasingly impact, all aspects of business. This legal framework is evolving rapidly and businesses need to stay abreast of these developments to understand the risks and opportunities they present.