This student takeover episode of the Meliora podcast explores the effectiveness of the Conference of the Parties (COP) and attempts to answer the following question: “COP: Cop It or Drop It.” ?

This is achieved through an investigation into the 2 main COP legislations, the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement. We discuss the efficacy of these legislations to then evaluate their overall success in today’s world. 

We explore the limitations, growing concerns around weak enforcement, insufficient national commitments and lastly highlight the key successes of these legislations. To illustrate these challenges, we also discuss concepts like carbon leakage and economic trade-offs.  

Ultimately, this episode asks: is COP still fit for purpose, or is it in urgent need of reform to meet the global sustainability goals?

Roles and names of group members:

o   Episode Host- Savana Mroue

o   Episode Guests- Leilah O’Connell, William Taylor

o   Episode Editor- Ethan Ward

o   Episode researcher and main script writer- Carmen West

This episode is part of the Student Takeover Season on the Meliora Podcast and is a group project from the University of Southampton UOSM2043 Global Sustainability Challenges module.