What to Watch at the UN Climate Talks

Envoys from almost 200 countries will convene next week in Katowice, Poland, for an annual conference on reining in global warming. The meeting organized by the UN is aimed at drawing up a rulebook for implementing the 2015 Paris Agreement, where all countries rich and poor alike pledged to limit fossil fuel emissions.

The first week begins with world leaders arriving for a summit hosted by Polish president Andrzej Duda on Dec. 3. Technical negotiators will meet in the following days to work through the nuts and bolts of the deal that will apply after 2020. Energy and finance ministers are expected to show up starting Dec. 10 to turn the progress into decisions. By the weekend of Dec. 14, if the talks go smoothly, the Katowice Rulebook will be adopted.