The COP-29 climate summit began on Monday in Azerbaijan, casting a spotlight on the renewed challenges facing global climate diplomacy.
The re-election of Donald Trump, who has pledged to roll back the United States’ carbon-cutting commitments, looms large over the discussions.
His anticipated withdrawal from the Paris Agreement has raised fears that global ambitions at the negotiating table could be diminished.
The talks come shortly after a UN report warned that 2024 is set to break temperature records, with the world continuing on a path of increasing warming.
“We cannot afford to let the momentum for global action on climate change be derailed,” emphasised Ralph Regenvanu, Vanuatu’s special envoy for climate change and environment.
“This is a shared problem that will not solve itself without international cooperation, and we will continue to make that case to the incoming president of one of the world’s largest polluters,” he added.
Trump, who has consistently dismissed climate change as a “hoax,” has reaffirmed his intent to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Agreement, a landmark deal aiming to limit global warming to well below 2°C, ideally 1.5°C, above pre-industrial levels.
Current actions, however, indicate the world is on track for a devastating 3.1°C rise this century, according to UN estimates.
“Everyone knows that these negotiations will not be easy,” remarked German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock. “But they are worth it: each tenth of a degree of warming avoided means fewer crises, less suffering, less displacement.”
With more than 51,000 participants expected, the COP-29 talks, held from November 11–22, bring together world leaders, scientists, and activists striving to address the climate crisis.
For the second consecutive year, the host country heavily depends on fossil fuels, following the United Arab Emirates, which hosted COP-28 last year.
Follow us
