Between 3 – 14 December climate negotiators from around the world will once again meet at the annual Conference of Parties (COP). Taking place in Katowice, this year’s COP is expected to finalize the rules for implementation of the Paris Agreement on climate change under the Paris Agreement work programme (PAWP), otherwise known as the Paris Rulebook. With this in mind we have dedicated a Special Issue to exploring a variety of issues that make up the ‘Rulebook’, including further guidance for the contents and features of Parties’ five-yearly nationally determined contributions (NDCs), accounting rules, modalities for the Agreement’s review mechanisms (transparency framework, global stocktake and implementation and compliance mechanism), and rules for the operation of the new cooperative mechanisms established by the Agreement. With COP24 fast approaching, this special issue offers an excellent preparatory guide for those attending the conference or interested in its outcomes.