As we’ve read in our discussion book, A Bigger Picture, COP25 was a massive step in Vanessa’s climate activist journey. Now, five years later, the most recent COP, COP29, takes place in November 2024, and here is what is reported from the UN’s annual climate summit:
The United Nations Climate Change Conference, now in its 29th iteration, officially kicked off on November 11th, 2024, in the oil-rich capital of Azerbaijan. With more than 32000 delegates in attendance, from diplomats to indigenous leaders, the summit is meant to steer global efforts toward slowing climate change. However, the COP29 summit arrives at a pivotal and politically charged moment.
The Trump Effect
Looming large over the conference is the re-election of Donald Trump, who has made no secret of his intent to pull the US out of the Paris Agreement again. For a country that ranks as the second-largest carbon emitter, the implications are massive. Although the Biden-led delegation (at the time) was presenting and participating, there was little confidence in the Trump administration to stick to any of Biden’s office’s commitments.
It’s not just the US casting a shadow. The host nation itself, Azerbaijan, is raising eyebrows as well. Critics, including Greta Thunberg, have called COP29 a “greenwash conference,” pointing out the irony of holding climate talks in a nation where fossil fuels dominate both the economy and exports.
What’s on the Table?
COP29 summit has earned the nickname “the finance COP” for a good reason. The central agenda revolves around securing climate funding for lower-income countries. A UN report suggests that emerging nations, excluding China, need more than $2 trillion annually by 2030 to make meaningful progress on emissions reductions and climate adaptation.
Wealthier nations were already slow to fulfill their original $100 billion annual pledge due in 2020 and only met in 2022. Now, there’s an even greater push!
Shouldn’t major emitters like China and the UAE, although still classified as “developing nations,” be part of this solution?
Also up for discussion is each country’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), which are climate action plans required under the Paris Agreement. These must be updated by early 2025, making COP29 a crucial moment to set ambitious and achievable goals.
Progress or Not?
At the COP28 convention in Dubai, world leaders made history by agreeing to “transition away from fossil fuels.” This was the first time in history that this language appeared in an official COP document. However, that momentum stalled for COP29.
There has been no formal continuation of the fossil fuel discussion in Azerbaijan, likely due to the country's heavy dependence on oil and gas. Leaked recordings even revealed that a top Azerbaijan official was open to discussing new fossil fuel deals before COP29. This deepens skepticism about the summit’s integrity.
So What Now?
As COP29 progresses, the real-world stakes couldn’t be any clearer. 2024 was the hottest year ever recorded, with extreme weather events devastating communities around the globe. Despite the alarming need for urgency, the path forward remains mixed in political games, economic self-interest, and a massive gap between promises and progress.
Climate change isn’t a future threat, it’s a current crisis.
Thank you, Ava, for this honest and eye-opening update. I found it powerful how you showed the contrast between the urgency of the climate crisis and the slow political progress. It’s frustrating to see big countries still playing games while the planet is clearly suffering, especially after 2024 being the hottest year on record. I agree that holding COP29 in a fossil-fuel-heavy nation feels like a step backward. I really hope world leaders stop delaying and start acting for real change.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! I totally agree, the disconnect between the urgency of the crisis and the slow political response is beyond frustrating.
DeleteI am glad to get an update on the COP situation! This is unbelievable yet completely believable based on what we have seen. We are so close to a tipping point and no one can agree that it is a major problem. I know it will not be easy but we do not have a choice yet we act like we have over a hundred years to act.
ReplyDeleteTrue, many people act as if they will be long gone before these issues show up in their lives and that is so selfish and unfounded.
DeleteI think I’m stuck on the fact that emerging nations need more than $2 trillion a year by 2030 to make progress. It’s so disappointing that we are moving so slowly politically.
ReplyDeleteI feel the same way! It really puts into perspective how massive the challenge is and how urgent the need for action has become.
DeleteLifting up the countries who cannot afford to go green is more important than most other technology-based climate solutions. We can leap frog to more advanced climate friendly energy in the countries that have no energy infrastructure at all, which will prevent the dirty coal era we refuse to leave in America. I hope that we can wake up soon, but progress is so little every time.
ReplyDeleteI read the title and thought of our book right away! I like the last line stating how this is a current threat. I've found it is a theme and maybe a protective coping method for people to say well that'll be decades before it gets bad.
ReplyDeleteI like the connection you made in this post to our book; its relevance makes this blog super interesting! I have always found the COP conferences ironic due to the amount of pollution created by the large number of leaders traveling to these meetings by private jet.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe that after 29 years of COP conferences that we are still running into problems and carbon emissions are still rising every year.
ReplyDeleteI think Greta Thunberg is right by said it is a green washing event. Countries go there to say they are doing things and making commitments they do not intend to meet. Also the amount of oil companies that send their people to these conferences is scary.
ReplyDeleteI have a question about this meeting, are they going to stream the next one so more of us can see and tap in to this meeting? like streamed on YouTube for free? we all could comment in the chat and stuff?
ReplyDeleteI feel like all the COP conferences are just a matter of words. And I'm not trying to degrade the power of words or visibility or anything, however, I feel like the COPs are just a matter of talk. Like talking about transitioning away from fossil fuels is great, but it doesn't matter if it is just words.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. We need to put together a climate alliance where the goals that are set are binding and enforceable, not just voluntary. We've shown time and again how stubbornly we will stick to fossil fuels if there isn't any incentive to pursue other fuels.
DeleteIt's incredibly disappointing to hear that even the host of the COP conference is opening the back door to fossil fuel interests, though I suppose it shouldn't be surprising by now. Unless countries suck it up and address the root of the issue, nothing about our climate situation will improve and it's both foolish and dangerous to pretend otherwise.
ReplyDeleteVery nice blog! I am even more skeptical of the Paris Agreement now. I really think the Kunming Montreal global biodiversity framework may be the best bet to combat global warming.
ReplyDeleteDespite urgent global needs and record-breaking climate extremes, COP29 highlights the ongoing gap between political promises and meaningful climate action.
ReplyDeleteYou did such a great job with this post. It is so sad to see that those in charge of our earth are the ones who don't really care or aren't truly informed. It's disappointing. I hope that there will be someone who can be in the president's ear, in the higher-up's ear who will fight for us who care.
ReplyDeleteThank you for providing an update on more recent COP conferences, I was also curious after the discussion from Vanessa's involvement in COP25. It upsets me to say that I am utterly disappointed but still not surprised with the slow political progress in implementing action to reduce carbon emissions. I feel that any hope that existed, especially in 2019 during COP25, has significantly diminished with the adoption of the Trump Administration. How are we meant to steer away from fossil fuels when we have such a climate-ignorant person in power?!
ReplyDeleteGiven Trump's reelection and Azerbaijan's reliance on fossil fuels, your analysis of COP29 emphasizes the serious obstacles presented by political and commercial interests.
ReplyDeleteThese COPs are so frustrating! We are on COP 29, but greenhouse gas emissions keep rising. And now, of course, with the United States not only not participating, but making every effort to undermine.
ReplyDeleteThank you for focusing on the most recent COP conference! I was wondering how things have progressed or changed since COP25 after reading The Bigger Picture - it is unfortunate but not surprising to see that things have not been changed for the better.
ReplyDeleteA new thought I have been thinking lately is that maybe the Trump effect could be a positive thing. I hope it continues to open people’s minds before the earth’s atmosphere reaches its tipping point.
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