COP29
nathan.reece@r…
12 November 2024
The Royal Meteorological Society (RMetS) is attending COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, from 11 to 22 November 2024. The RMetS has observer status and we will be attending sessions in person and virtually and reporting back on activities.
As a major oil and gas hub, Baku, highlights the growing emphasis on energy transitions and environmental commitments, aiming to balance economic growth with ambitious climate action. The Caspian Sea region surrounding Baku is covered in pipelines and oil fields and the smell of oil hangs heavy in the air as a reminder of the ‘commitment to phase down the use of fossil fuels’ agreed at COP28 in 2023.
The election of Donald Trump in the US also hangs over this COP with his statements to drill, drill, drill and to step down again from the Paris Agreement.
Despite all of this, the science is clear that ‘every action matters’. At COP29, a science-based approach is vital in directing climate action, focusing on using scientific data to shape policies, assess progress, and establish accountable goals.
This emphasis on a science-based approach is one reason the RMetS supports the RINGO constituency, which plays a significant role at COPs by representing the scientific and research community in the climate discussions and aims to ensure that scientific research informs climate policy decisions, supporting transparency, knowledge-sharing, and collaboration among stakeholders. RINGO members meet daily to discuss the developments of the negotiations, share information and contribute to RINGO statements at the COP opening and closing plenaries and at high level sessions.
As observers at COP, the RMetS also attends the negotiations and this year at COP29 we will be attending these in-person, and virtually for the first time.
COP29 aims to secure an ambitious new climate finance goal, with a particular focus on developing countries. Nations will aim to fulfil existing financial commitments alongside a new, collective goal for climate funding from the public sector and also from private finance to support mitigation, adaptation, and loss and damage. But tensions are high around the topic of finance at this COP begins.
Day 1 at COP29
The opening plenary on day 1 started as planned with speeches from the President for COP28 in UAE, Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, who formally opened the summit highlighting the need to unite, act and deliver before handing over the gavel to Mukhtar Babayev, the elected COP29 President. However, the opening plenary was adjourned for what turned out to be an 8-hour delay as discussions behind the scenes over the COP agenda ensued.
The first formality of any COP is to agree the agenda. Ahead of the COP29 opening ceremony there has already been a push from China and several developing nations requesting ‘unilateral restrictive trade measures’ be added to the COP agenda, targeting EU trade policies that penalise imports with high climate costs. The EU insists that such measures belong at the World Trade Organization and contends these carbon tariffs prevent undercutting by nations with lower climate standards.
However, the main reason for the delay on day 1 of COP29, was put down to where on the agenda the negotiations on the implementation of the outcomes of the global stocktake should sit. This highlights that tensions are high and almost a full day of negotiations has been lost due to delays in agreeing the COP29 agenda.
One positive from the first day of COP in Baku, was the approval of Article 6.4 relating to standards on methodologies and carbon removals. This is a huge step forward for international carbon markets and will have substantial impact on the voluntary markets too. International carbon markets allow countries, companies, and individuals to trade certified emission reduction credits. The mechanism is designed to standardise carbon credits, boost sustainable development, and prevent double counting of emissions reductions. Significantly, Article 6.4 aims to help countries meet their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) through both emissions reductions and removals that are certified at a global level.
COP Pavilions
COPs are also renowned for the pavilions, or Blue Zone, which are operated by the host country on a commercial basis in order to provide Parties and admitted observers with dedicated space to host their own private meetings and office accommodation. The pavilions provide an opportunity for nations and organisations to present their programmes, launch initiatives and inform the COP. The pavilion space is not intended to be part of the formal intergovernmental process and events hosted in pavilions are not part of the official COP programme. Details of who is involved in the pavilions (Blue Zone) at COP29 are online. Conversations with representatives from one of the smaller pavilions (approx. 50sqm) who paid £125k for the space, emphasised that there is a significant financial obligation, as well as a time commitment, to be seen at COP.
World Leaders
As day two starts, the focus shifts to global leaders arriving in Baku for the opening session World Leaders Climate Action Summit. Media interest in COP is likely to increase as many leaders, including Sir Keir Starmer, will make bold statements of their countries commitments to climate action and vulnerability to climate change. The UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, will also be at COP as the hard work begins with negotiations taking place away from the public spotlight.