COP summits: Have they helped the climate?

World leaders gather Wednesday at COP31, the UN's annual climate summit, amid ongoing criticism that decades of meetings have failed to curb emissions and that decisions remain too weak. The UN recently announced the 1.5-degree Celsius target will be missed, with warming projected at 1.8 degrees at best. However, experts tell SVT the meetings have achieved significant progress, though 2026 may see only a slight emissions dip due to the Hormuz crisis. COP meetings began in 1995 following the IPCC's first report in 1990. The landmark 2015 Paris Agreement committed nearly 200 countries to limit warming, with updated national pledges due every five years.