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. 

COP29 Theme Days 

Friday 15 November, during the first week at COP29, saw another combined theme day on Energy, Peace, Relief, and Recovery. Negotiations aimed to progress phasing out fossil fuel subsidies, with calls to eliminate inefficiencies and establish timelines for transitions. Highlights during the day included the advances in renewable energy as China announced the completion of the world’s largest offshore solar farm, combining aquaculture and renewable energy to tackle energy and food security challenges. There was also a joint report from the WTO (World Trade Organization) and the WMO (World Meteorological Organization) on Renewable Energy, including cross-border trade highlighting the potential of regional collaborations in renewable electricity trade to lower costs and accelerate energy transitions​.  

The theme on Day 6, on Saturday 16 November was Science, Technology, and Innovation / Digitalisation, showcasing the transformative potential of technology in addressing climate change. The Launch of the Green Digital Action Declaration and High-Level Roundtable on Digitalisation aimed to highlight the commitment to leverage digital tools for climate resilience, enhance equitable access to digital climate solutions, and integrate digital innovation into climate policies and ensure collaboration for sustainable development. The focus was on artificial intelligence and how AI and other digital tools can enhance climate adaptation and mitigation, while addressing energy demands through efficient design and clean energy integration.

COP29 Week 1 Closes and Week 2 Begins

The final session on Day 6, the closing of the UNFCCC Subsidiary Bodies (SBs), ran past midnight and closed without the usual statements by parties and observers, with several issues moved to the SBs’ sessions in June 2025, such as the Adaptation Committee and the review of the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage. And as week one at COP29 ended, prominent figures like Ban Ki-moon and Al Gore stressed the need for greater urgency.

Sunday was a rest day for those involved in COP29, and so we now move into the second and final week of COP29 where political leadership will be vital to secure ambitious outcomes. In week 2, the Ministers pick up from their lead negotiators aiming to make decisions and negotiations to deal with any disagreements. 

Education Focus

The themes on Monday 18 November were human development, children and youth, health, and education. The Greening Education Partnership (GEP) and UNESCO co-organised the High-Level Meeting on the Baku Initiative on Human Development for Climate Resilience, aiming to catalyse investment in education, skills and health in particular for children and youth. The COP29 Ministerial Roundtable on Greening Education and Enhancing Climate Literacy metrics focused on the role of greening education and the role of international assessments targets and metrics in driving climate change education, highlighting the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) that has been pivotal in driving educational reforms worldwide through its competency-based frameworks and metrics.

There is growing consensus about the pivotal role of education in combating the climate crisis, including recent findings that highlighted approximately half of the 100 countries surveyed lack any reference to climate change in their national curriculum frameworks. 95% of the surveyed educators recognise the importance of teaching climate change, yet fewer than 30% of them feel adequately prepared to address it within their local context. Also, 70% of the youth that were surveyed expressed an inability to articulate climate change beyond general principles, coupled with anxiety about their future.