The climate emergency is a direct consequence of carbon-heavy land-use and agriculture, transport, buildings and industrial processes and polluting energy sources. Without profound changes to these sectors and a drastic cut to carbon footprints, there is little hope of protecting the planet from the devastating effects of a warmer world.
Below are climate-related news and events from the United Nations and partners.
In what is probably an overlooked section of the draft texts released earlier today, the decision on who will host COP31 in 2026 won't be decided until June next year at the earliest.
Both Turkey and Australia - co-hosting with one or more Pacific island nations - want to host the event, but neither is willing to withdraw their candidacy.
Of the 29 COPs, six have been held in the southern hemisphere and 23 in the northern hemisphere.
The new draft texts have just been released by the COP29 Presidency, and the key takeaway is that developing countries should receive US$250 billion per year by 2035 for climate action. This is to come from "a wide variety of sources, public and private, bilateral and multilateral, including alternative sources."
While it also "calls for a finance target of US$1.3 trillion by 2035, it also "invites developing countries to make additional contributions".
These figures will see lots of back and forth over the rest of the day, but at least there are figures to work with now. How developing countries will react to this text remains to be seen however.
Hundreds of scientists from around the world are in the midst of drafting a landmark report to help government leaders and other decision makers counter some of the world’s most acute environmental ills.
The Global Environmental Outlook 7 (GEO-7), will provide a comprehensive overview of the latest environmental research and provide decision makers with a roadmap for addressing the triple planetary crisis of climate change, nature and biodiversity loss including desertification and pollution and waste. Read more about the report.
The European Union released its first Biennial Transparency Report (BTR) this morning, highlighting the importance of transparency in achieving the Paris Agreement goals.
The EU’s BTR revealed a 37 per cent drop in net greenhouse gas emissions since 1990, with a potential pathway to a 90 per cent net greenhouse gas emissions reduction by 2040.
Transparency is a key component of the Paris Agreement. Countries submit their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) - their plans on how they will reduce emissions – every five years, with the next round of NDCs due in February 2025. As part of this, most countries are expected to submit their first Biennial Transparency Report (BTR) this month.
BTRs are progress reports that provide information on national emissions levels and mitigation efforts as well as adaptation measures. They provide a snapshot of progress in achieving the NDCs goals. For more information on why transparency matters, check out this handy video:
Talks are still deadlocked in Baku on a number of issues, particularly climate finance – with disagreement about how much developing countries should receive annually by 2030 and where that money should come from.
Developing countries want US$1.3 trillion a year, but the draft text released yesterday had just an “X” where a figure should be, illustrating how far apart negotiators are.
The EU has said it wants more money to come from the private sector, while developing countries want the money to come in the form of grants, not loans.
About 80 of the most vulnerable countries represented by ministers from the Independent Association of Latin America and the Caribbean put forward a plan yesterday. It included a proposal to finalise a deal on grant-based public money and agree on roadmap to COP29 in Brazil on which sources could bridge the gap to $1.3 trillion.
They said redirecting fossil fuel subsidies and other sources of public finance towards climate action could be a solution, as could levies on aviation and shipping as well as taxes on wealth and major polluters.
The COP29 Presidency has said it will aim to release a new draft of texts later today with a view to sending out the final text later this evening, although no one in Baku is expecting COP29 to finish this evening.
Nature-based Solutions are key to solving the interlinked crises we now face. That was the message from UNEP’s Executive Director, Inger Andersen at the Global Leaders Dialogue at COP29 yesterday.
She highlighted how Nature-based Solutions help to:
“Cut greenhouse gas emissions and increase adaptation to climate impacts under the Paris Agreement. That halt and reverse biodiversity loss under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. That meet land degradation neutrality goals under the UN Convention to Combat Desertification. That deliver on the SDGs and more.”
Andersen also highlighted how these solutions are not just good for the climate, for nature and for people, but also good for business.
“Much of the global economy is dependent on nature and its services. UNEP recognizes this by supporting Nature-based Solutions and Ecosystem-based Adaptation through nearly 90 global projects, restoring 324,000 hectares and benefiting 3.5 million people.”
It’s the (most likely) final day in Baku, with negotiations coming down the wire. The hope is that the multiple gaps between countries can be bridged, and a final text is released that enables countries most vulnerable to climate change to transition to a sustainable future and protect themselves from the effects of climate change.
Yesterday the COP Presidency announced that the revised presidency texts would be released late on Friday. We will keep you posted on developments as they happen.
Narrated by Don Cheadle, learn about UNEP's latest climate action series and the leaders, activists and entrepreneurs building scalable climate solutions across the world.
Every fraction of a degree matters, every climate action counts.
There have been calls for the world not to go backwards on cutting emissions after some countries expressed dismay that the draft text released earlier today was not strong enough on emissions cuts - which are necessary if the world is to avoid devastating climate chaos.
The Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance, which includes Costa Rica, France, Greenland, the Marshall Islands and other nations, released a statement on Thursday calling for nations to stick to their 2023 pledge to begin the transition away from fossil fuels.
At least year's COP28 in Dubai, countries agreed to "transition away from fossil fuels" but that line was missing from the draft text released earlier today in Baku.
Colombian Environment Minister, Susana Muhamed pointed out the necessity of such a transition: "What is the point of having an agreement and a convention if we cannot deal with the issue that creates the problem,” she asked.
This was echoed by Ed Miliband, the UK minister for energy security and net zero, who said that in a world facing increasing disasters, “standing still is a retreat”.
Duong Khanh Ly, the founder of a tea cooperative in northeast Viet Nam, had a problem.
Severe downpours would often soak tea leaves that had been left outside to dry, spoiling entire batches and cutting into the profits of the co-operative’s 15 female members.
So, Duong approached CHIASE, a non-governmental organization and partner of the United Nations’ EmPower programme, which helps women become more resilient in the face of climate change.
Launched in 2018, EmPower is led by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and UN Women. The effort is designed to tackle a problem many women face across the Asia-Pacific region: a lack of access to credit.
