COP29 : What You Should Know
COP29 is the United Nations Climate Change Conference held in Baku, Azerbaijan from November 11 to 22, 2024. These conferences are annual events where countries gather to discuss and decide on actions to tackle climate change. The goal is to agree on measures such as keeping global temperature rise below 1.5 degrees Celsius, helping communities adapt to climate impacts, and achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.
At COP29, world leaders, negotiators, business leaders, young people, climate scientists, Indigenous Peoples, and representatives from civil society will come together to share ideas and best practices. They will focus on setting new financial goals to support stronger climate actions, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and building resilient communities. They will also work on national climate plans to ensure these are effective and help transition away from fossil fuels while keeping the world on track to limit warming.
In official terms, COP29 stands for the 29th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), an international treaty established in 1992, and the basis for the 2015 Paris Agreement.
COP28 Dubai
COP28 in Dubai was a major event from November 30 to December 12, 2023, and it marked a crucial step forward in our fight against climate change. The summit brought together over 85,000 participants, including leaders, civil society, businesses, and climate experts, all united in a common cause.
One of the standout achievements was the first-ever global stocktake under the Paris Agreement. This stocktake showed that while progress is being made, it’s not happening fast enough. It highlighted the need for urgent action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, build resilience to climate impacts, and support vulnerable nations financially and technologically.
In response, countries agreed to ramp up their efforts by 2030. This includes a push to move away from fossil fuels and embrace renewable energy sources like wind and solar power. COP28 essentially signaled the start of a transition towards a cleaner, more sustainable future.
The conference also saw the approval of new UN rules for international carbon markets. These rules are designed to ensure that carbon trading leads to real reductions in emissions. The message from COP28 was clear: deep emissions cuts and increased climate finance are essential to keeping global temperature rise within 1.5°C.
Simon Stiell, the UN Climate Change Executive Secretary, summed it up well by saying that while the fossil fuel era isn’t over yet, COP28 has marked the beginning of its end. He urged governments and businesses to turn their promises into real actions quickly.
Overall, COP28 was a pivotal moment in our global effort to tackle climate change, with renewed commitments to ambitious and achievable goals.