A Guide to COP29: What Should It Achieve?

June marked the 12th month of global temperatures reaching 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. This summer was also the hottest on record globally and for Europe and has led to more extreme weather events. Scientists have found that Typhoon Gaemi – which hit South East Asia in late July with winds reaching 145 mph affecting millions – had winds ~9 mph faster and rainfall up to 14% higher as a direct result of anthropogenic climate change. This report also comes amid fears of drought and wildfires in the Amazon Rainforest as well as Hurricane Francine making landfall in Louisiana. 

COP29 provides a platform to achieve meaningful change towards a more sustainable future. With its focus on an energy transition, this conference may pave the way to stronger emission reduction targets and more ambitious targets for phasing out fossil fuels. 

However, with yet more controversy surrounding the chosen host country and president getting in the way, the efficacy of this year’s COP could be hindered leaving us with a steadily warming planet approaching climate tipping points. 

What is COP29?

Every year world leaders get together at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) conference and discuss new strategies to address climate change. The agreement to cap mean global temperature well below 2°C is a direct result of these meetings, showing the power and potential of these meetings.

While pledges made at COPs work through political pressure and accountability instead of legal obligation, there are recent cases of countries being sued for inaction.

This year’s COP, COP29, is scheduled between 11th and 22nd November and will be hosted in Baku, Azerbaijan. The country was elected by unanimous decision, and it has been announced that COP29 will focus on the energy transition – which is a topic very close to home for Azerbaijan. It is estimated that 60% of Azerbaijan’s government budget comes from oil and gas production, however, they have set impressive energy transition targets (e.g., 35% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030). 

Around 85,000 people and more than 150 Heads of State and Government attended COP28 hallmarking these conferences as a fantastic platform for change. However, with the substantial controversy shrouding the previous COP and increasingly worrying estimates for the probability of keeping global temperatures below the 2°C threshold, only time will tell whether COP29 will be one to remember. 

What happened at COP28?

While two of the largest emitters, China and India, again refused to sign the pledge and committed to coal power instead, COP28 was the first to explicitly mention the need to transition away from fossil fuels. The agreed deal, which took an additional day to finalise due to objections from Saudi Arabia, called upon countries to transition “away from fossil fuels in energy systems, in a just, orderly and equitable manner”. 

However, this achievement was overshadowed by significant controversy surrounding the conference’s host nation and president. Both the UAE and Sultan Al Jaber are known as major advocates and producers of fossil fuels, which led to concerns over conflict of interest. Also, with the president having previously denied the science behind anthropogenic climate change and many pointing out the pledge shows no clear commitment to an energy transition, the positives of COP28’s were largely lost.

What can we expect? 

The host nation “framework of action” has set out three principal aims for the conference:

• To “keep temperatures under control and stay below 1.5°C”. As agreed in the Paris Agreement (2015), countries have an obligation to meet this target but there is a lot more work to be done to make sure that this goal is met. A study from last year found that the world would need to reduce carbon emissions by 8% per year until 2034 to keep the chances of staying below 1.5°C above 50%. 
• To “enhance ambition and enable action”. This objective is twofold in that it hopes COP29 will act as a catalyst for change and inspire increasingly bold targets as well as provide an environment by which these targets can be efficiently met.
• To “ensure everyone’s voices are heard”. The final core aim highlights the need for a multidisciplinary and diverse group of people if environmental objectives are to be reached. 

Another overarching focus of the conference will be climate finance. For example, there is a campaign seeking 10,000 small businesses worldwide to commit to CO2 emission reductions. The COP29 Presidency has also launched the Climate Finance Action Fund (CFAF) which hopes to fundraise $1 billion from fossil fuel-producing countries and companies. This comes in the wake of the annual promise of $100 billion to be given to underdeveloped countries by industrialised nations by 2020 which was agreed at COP15 – a feat first met in 2022. However, all these figures are likely far below what is needed – one report estimates $2.4 trillion is needed each year by 2030 just for developing countries (excluding China) to reach their climate targets. 

What would we like to see as conservationists?

COP29 presents another chance to curtail emissions, protect the environment, and address the biodiversity crisis. While time is running out and the possibility of avoiding 1.5°C of warming is steadily falling, the question now is: what can be done this COP to mitigate the impacts of climate change and correct the course of the planet’s environmental future?

Firstly, and most importantly, clear, ambitious, and legally binding commitments from countries to ensure warming is kept below 1.5°C. Whether this be through something akin to government-led energy transitions, carbon taxes, or offset schemes, the path to a more sustainable future is clear from a scientific perspective, pledges just need to reflect the science. 

Similarly, protecting vulnerable ecosystems is vital to ensuring the longevity of the planet’s fauna and flora. Protecting oceans should be a particular focus especially blue carbon ecosystems such as mangroves, seagrasses, and salt marshes. Additionally, pledges to curb land degradation and desertification alongside reforestation efforts will be essential for CO2 drawdown and limiting regional warming. 

Increased funding for nature-based solutions must be prioritised as key strategies for both mitigating and adapting to climate change. The power of these projects cannot be understated as they can often address multiple issues at once by increasing biodiversity through creating habitats. Furthermore, they are often more cost-effective and can even be self-sustaining once established. 

As conservationists, all eyes are on November 11th, but we do not need to wait for leaders to pave the way for change, as you can get involved in conservation efforts today with WorkingAbroad. WorkingAbroad offers many different projects you can get involved in all the way from sea turtle conservation in Costa Rica to reforestation efforts in Iceland.  

Written by WorkingAbroad Blogger Edward Forman