How do global climate negotiations work?

Arun Singh and Michael Davidson

Every year all nations of the world gather for two weeks to debate, negotiate, and chart a globally acceptable plan for combatting climate change. The latest of these conferences took place in Marrakesh, titled the Conference of the Parties (COP) 22, with the objective of deciding on an action plan for the global agreement reached in Paris in 2015. What is the history and institutional basis of this process of international climate governance? What organizations are involved in arguably the most important global negotiations of our times, and how do these negotiations work?