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.
This live feed will keep you up-to-date with all the latest news from the United Nations Climate Change Conference, known as the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) taking place in Baku, Azerbaijan.
14 Nov
2024
13:02
New report: Current climate policies will lead to disaster
Current climate policies will lead to a disastrous 2.7C of warming, according to new data from the Climate Action Tracker, released today. It shows that the expected level of global heating by the end of the century has not changed since 2021, with “minimal progress” made this year.
“This three-year standstill underscores a critical disconnect between the reality of climate change and the urgency that governments are giving to the policies needed to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions, driving global warming at a rate of close to 0.3°C per decade,” the group said.
With countries needing to submit their new climate plans – or NDCs – by February this year, it’s vital that they show ambition in order to keep the Paris Agreement goals in sight.
14 Nov
2024
11:32
Negotiations on climate finance continue, as urgency increases
Pexels/Denniz Futalan
As climate impacts intensify and hit the world’s most vulnerable hardest, nations must dramatically increase climate adaptation efforts, starting with a commitment to act on finance at COP29.
This has been in evidence in many of the world leaders’ speeches and was made clear UNEPs Adaptation Gap Report 2024: Come hell and high water, which highlighted the fact that US$187-359 billion more needs to be spent in climate adaptation every year.
Currently, countries are negotiating over a “new collective quantified goal” (NCQG) on climate finance which would decide how much developing countries would get after 2025, where that money would come from and what form it would take.
Yesterday it was announced that Multilateral Development Banks – such as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank – pledged to boost climate finance with $120 billion a year for low and middle income countries by 2030.
The figure many are talking about in Baku is at least $1 trillion a year by 2035, although there is a long way to go before any breakthroughs are made.
14 Nov
2024
07:42
Scaling Forest finance for people, climate and nature
Pexels/ Stephan Müller
Forests are a vital carbon sink, but time is running out to halt and reverse forest loss. This event will address the urgent need to ramp up these financial mechanisms, such as carbon finance. Progress in forest conservation efforts will also be highlighted, specifically in tropical forest countries that have developed large-scale programs.
14 Nov
2024
07:40
Everything you need to know about Article 6
There has been much talk during COP29 about Article 6, which focuses on the development of carbon markets, places where countries, companies and individuals can trade what are known as greenhouse gas emissions credits. The Article is seen as crucial to limiting global warming to 1.5°C, one of the aims of the Paris Agreement.
14 Nov
2024
07:14
Focus stays on finance as day three of COP29 begins
UN Climate Change - Kamran Guliyev
Today, the focus is on finance, investment and trade, and with COP29 billed as the ‘finance COP,’ it's fair to say that this is an important day, with lots of world leaders from the developing world calling on richer countries to live up to their promises.
One of the main meetings today will be the 6th High Level Ministerial Dialogue on Climate Finance, which sees ministers and other government officials meet to try to agree on how to finance the world’s response to climate change. Central to this will be discussions on the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) on climate finance – a key element of the 2015 Paris Agreement, aimed at setting a new financial target to support developing countries in their climate actions post-2025. Technology plays a key role in climate action and this event shows how the Climate Technology Centre and Network is helping developing countries. This event will bring together key stakeholders from governments, global initiatives, and the private sector representing the entire climate finance chain, to identify the opportunities to build on the momentum of COP29.
13 Nov
2024
18:46
COP30 hosts Brazil publishes its NDC
Brazil - which is hosting next year's COP30 in the Amazon city of Belém - released its NDC, its climate plan until 2035 earlier today. The country aims to cut its emissions between 59-67 per cent by 2035, compared to 2005. While UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell welcomed the news, saying: "Brazil's plan covers all sectors of the economy and all greenhouse gases, has real reduction targets, and embeds what we agreed last year at COP28."
It is hoped more countries - and particularly the G7 group of nations - will release their NDCs at COP29. Due in February next year, they need to see ambitious emissions cuts if there is any remaining hope of achieving the Paris Agreement goals.
13 Nov
2024
15:27
Paris Agreement goals not possible without cutting N₂O emissions
The assessment also revealed that emissions are rising faster than expected, and that immediate action is required to curb the environmental and health impacts of this super pollutant.
Nitrous oxide is approximately 270 times more potent than carbon dioxide in terms of warming the planet, and currently responsible for approximately 10 per cent of net global warming since the industrial revolution.
13 Nov
2024
13:54
What are NDCs and why are they so important?
There is lots of talk about countries Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) in Baku.These are country’s climate plans, effectively a blueprint for how they propose to cut emissions in collaboration with businesses and local governments.
Countries updated NDCs are due to be submitted by February 10th next year - highlighting their climate actions up to 2035 – and its vital that they show increased ambition in order to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
This year looks set to be another with rising emissions, but, as highlighted in UNEP’s Emissions Gap Report 2024, countries need to cut emissions by 42 per cent by 2030. Equally important is that these plans are transparent and integrated into national policies. Read more about NDCs here.
The hope is that countries will announce ambitious climate plans during COP29. Yesterday, the British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer revealed that Britain would aim to reduce emissions by 81 per cent over 1990 levels.
13 Nov
2024
11:56
World Leaders Summit continues with more calls for climate finance
UN Climate Change/Kiara Worth
World leaders have taken centre stage again today with more calls for action on climate finance, which the developing world needs to both transition away from fossil fuels and deal with the effects of the climate crisis.
Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, Prime Minister of Pakistan said that “without climate justice, there can be no real resilience. I wouldn’t want other countries to face the fight Pakistan faced in 2022.” Pakistan faced devastating floods that year which submerged more than a third of the country.
Muhammad Yunus, chief adviser of the interim government of Bangladesh, pointed out that the modern culture of “limitless consumption” is incompatible with protecting the planet. ““We have chosen a lifestyle that works against the environment. We justify this with an economic framework that is considered as natural as the planetary system,” he said.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called on increased funding for loss and damage and both mitigation and adaptation, particularly for small island states which are bearing the brunt of the climate crisis. “You are on the sharp end of a colossal injustice, an injustice that sees the very future of your islands threatened by rising seas,” he said.
Central to whether this COP will be seen as a success will be progress on the the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) on climate finance, which will define the scale of developing countries finance needs post-2025.
13 Nov
2024
11:02
CO2 emissions rise in 2024, despite pledges to act
Pexels/Vikash Singh
Global CO2 emissions will rise 0.8 per cent in 2024, despite pledges to made to "transition away" from fossil fuels at COP28 last year.
The 2024 Global Carbon Budget projects fossil carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of 37.4 billion tonnes, up 0.8 per cent from 2023. Total CO2 emissions are projected to be 41.6 billion tonnes in 2024, up from 40.6 billion tonnes last year.
Emissions need to fall by 43 per cent by 2030, if there is any chance of achieving the Paris Agreement goal of 1.5C above pre-industrial temperatures.
The new data comes from the Global Carbon Budget project, a collaboration of more than 100 experts led by Prof Pierre Friedlingstein, at the University of Exeter, UK.
The good news is that 22 countries – representing a quarter of global emissions – have decreased their emissions significantly, while still growing their economies. These countries include the UK, Germany and the United States.
The data also highlights the fact that some of the technological solutions to climate change, such as carbon capture and storage (CCUS) are currently not viable, with current levels of technology-based carbon dioxide Removal (excluding nature-based means such as reforestation) accounting for about one-millionth of the CO2 emitted from fossil fuels.
