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Experts flag climate concerns as PM, top leaders skip COP29

Top leaders of major global polluters India and China, along with those from prominent economies such as the US, European Union, France, Japan, Israel and Brazil, will skip the ongoing session of the Conference of the Parties (COP29) climate summit in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav had attended the COP28 in Dubai last year, the Indian delegation this time will be led by Minister of State Kirti Vardhan Singh. He will address the COP29 on November 18 and 19. The PM had earlier attended the COP21 in Paris and the COP26 in Glasgow. Officials who are part of the delegation said the past COP events had been used by India for key bilateral meetings, but the absence of major world leaders at COP29, being held from November 11 to 22, would not have required the PM’s presence. Environment Minister Yadav’s non-availability for the conference is being attributed to his being the BJP in charge for the November 20 Maharashtra Assembly elections. Advertisement “Prime Minister Modi had met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the margins of the COP26 in Glasgow in November 2021. In Paris, Chinese President Xi Jinping and other major global leaders were present. In Dubai last year, PM Modi had met Brazilian and Israeli Presidents,” an official said. The “World Leaders Climate Action Summit” at the UN Climate Conference is a forum for the heads of states and governments to air their perspective on climate action and articulate national policies on dealing with the crisis, the official said. Experts flag climate concerns as PM, top leaders skip COP29 India to be represented by MoS Kirti Vardhan article_Author Aksheev Thakur Tribune News Service New Delhi, Updated At : 06:24 AM Nov 13, 2024 IST fb twitter whatsapp Follow us Follow us Connect with us Connect with us featured-imgfeatured-img Advertisement Top leaders of major global polluters India and China, along with those from prominent economies such as the US, European Union, France, Japan, Israel and Brazil, will skip the ongoing session of the Conference of the Parties (COP29) climate summit in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav had attended the COP28 in Dubai last year, the Indian delegation this time will be led by Minister of State Kirti Vardhan Singh. He will address the COP29 on November 18 and 19. The PM had earlier attended the COP21 in Paris and the COP26 in Glasgow. Officials who are part of the delegation said the past COP events had been used by India for key bilateral meetings, but the absence of major world leaders at COP29, being held from November 11 to 22, would not have required the PM’s presence. Environment Minister Yadav’s non-availability for the conference is being attributed to his being the BJP in charge for the November 20 Maharashtra Assembly elections. Advertisement “Prime Minister Modi had met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the margins of the COP26 in Glasgow in November 2021. In Paris, Chinese President Xi Jinping and other major global leaders were present. In Dubai last year, PM Modi had met Brazilian and Israeli Presidents,” an official said. The “World Leaders Climate Action Summit” at the UN Climate Conference is a forum for the heads of states and governments to air their perspective on climate action and articulate national policies on dealing with the crisis, the official said. Read More Flowers India Illegal infiltration: ED arrests 2 Bangladeshi nationals, 1 Indian' View More right-arrow Advertisement Nivedita Bansal, who is part of the 2024 cohort of the “Women Climate Collective”, claimed that world leaders skipping the COP29 “sent a worrying message to the participating countries and undermined the importance of the negotiations”. “It creates a perception that the negotiations are optional. This can impact the participation of countries in future COPs and derail the progress on climate action. However, this may create a unique opportunity for the parties present to take the lead in creating meaningful climate outcomes globally. The absence of important players can give least developed countries and BRICS nations more visibility and power in leveraging negotiations towards favouring the needs of the Global South,” she said. Programme manager at the Centre for Science and Environment, Avantika Goswami, said the absence of global leaders would not make the summit insignificant. “Geopolitics is really difficult right now. There are a lot of different conflicting priorities. Multiple wars and tensions are taking place around the world. That does not make the COP29 any less important because without agreeing on an ambitious finance target for climate action in Baku, it will be impossible for developing countries to achieve their climate goals in the remaining part of the decade,” she said. British PM Keir Starmer, UN Secretary General António Guterres, Barbados PM Mia Mottley, World Bank president Ajay Banga and Brazilian Environment Minister Marina Silva are among those who would address the summit.

Modi Gov Doubles Stubble Burning Penalties for Neigbouring States; Check the New Rates

The fines for stubble burning have been increased by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change in response to the Supreme Court's criticism of the "toothless" sanctions under the Environment Protection Act (EPA) of 1986. In addition to addressing the deteriorating air quality in Delhi and the surrounding areas, this action attempts to reduce stubble burning. Increased Penalty Rates for Stubble Burning The central government has nearly doubled the fines for stubble burning for farmers in states near the national capital. Check the new rates in the table given below: Which States Farmers Come Under the Penalty? The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) Act of 2021 enforces penalties to control pollution across Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, and parts of the NCR in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. These regulations aim to improve air quality by setting strict rules and consequences for violations in these regions. How will the Fine be Collected? Fines collected through challans must be paid within 30 days. If not paid, an authorized officer will recover the unpaid amount as a land revenue arrear. For farmers involved in stubble burning, a “red entry” will be recorded against their land as a mark of violation. Collected fines go directly to the accounts of the respective State Pollution Control Boards or Committees. Delhi Air Pollution: Source-wise Contribution Data from the Centre for Science and Environment shows that pollution sources break down as follows: 30.34% comes from within Delhi, with transportation making up 50.1% of that share. Neighboring NCR areas contribute 34.97%, while other regions add 27.94%. Stubble burning contributes a smaller portion, at just 8.19%, to Delhi's pollution levels. According to the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, cases of stubble burning decreased from 71,829 in 2020 to 12,514 between September 16 and November 6 this year.

Women’s representation at UN climate conferences has barely improved in 30 years, particularly women from South Asia

As the 29th UN climate conference opens in Baku, Azerbaijan on Nov. 11, one thing remains the same: men will occupy most seats at the climate talks. Much has changed since the UN’s first Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Framework Convention on Climate Change in 1995. But the proportion of women representatives has remained stalled, at about a third of participants. According to data from the Women’s Environment and Development Organization, women represented only 34% of party delegates and 19% of heads of delegation at COP28 last year. In comparison, 16 years ago at COP14, women comprised 31% of party delegates. This minimal progress is despite increasing calls for gender mainstreaming in climate action. Why are women delegates missing at COPs? In January this year, the organising committee for COP29 appointed 28 men and no women. After facing significant criticism, 12 women were added (and one more man). She Changes Climate, an organisation founded in 2020 that advocates for equal gender representation at climate negotiations, called the initial decision “a regressive step”. It asked for equal representation in the committee: “Climate change affects the whole world, not half of it.” Afia Salam, a journalist and media development specialist focusing on climate change, environment and gender-sensitive reporting, tells Dialogue Earth that ensuring the voices of women are included often requires drastic measures, such as “gatecrashing committee meetings” in Pakistan. “It is a man’s world,” says Salam. “You see far more men than women in international climate negotiations. This has a lot to do with the historical baggage, where women are often missing from places of prominence and decision-making [in the countries that representatives come from].” This global gender imbalance in leadership translates directly to climate negotiations, where national representatives mirror the gender disparities of their governments. In South Asia, only 16.6% of parliamentarians are women. Globally, only 23.3% of cabinet ministers are women. Worse, the portfolios they manage are often limited to gender, family and children affairs, social inclusion and development, as well as Indigenous and minority affairs. As important as these portfolios are, they do not set the agenda in the way that finance and energy do. One barrier is social constraints related to gendered roles and responsibilities. Bharati Chaturvedi, founder and director of Chintan Environmental Research and Action Group in New Delhi, explains: “Women are not a homogenous lot [and] different women have different circumstances and contexts; work responsibilities; domestic responsibilities.” She adds: “Negotiators may not necessarily be women from prestigious government services and therefore they might be required to put in several nights preparing and being away for a fortnight, which takes them away from domestic responsibilities for several weeks.” What can women bring to the climate discourse? In the South Asian context, women are central to domestic and caregiving responsibilities, while also playing a crucial role in agriculture. They make up 43% of the agricultural workforce in developing countries, a sector that contributes 18% to South Asia’s GDP. Due to gender inequalities in the political, social and economic realms, women face higher risks from the impacts of climate change. This strengthens the case for their inclusion in climate action. Salam highlights pervasive gender blindness in climate change policies and adaptation measures. “During disasters, something as basic as putting a relief kit together does not take into account the needs of the women; this nuance is being brought by women.” Salam says they “typically fail to include basic hygiene essentials, such as sanitary napkins, underwear, cloth towels, cotton pads, soap, along with special nutrition and dignity kits for pregnant and new mothers. In the absence of inclusive relief kits, people have stepped in to fill that gap.” Salam notes that having more women involved in climate discussions would lead to a more inclusive approach for other marginalised groups: “Since they have been at the centre of caregiving, they are also thinking about children and elders. When women craft solutions, they are more likely to be inclusive.” When women participate in climate change negotiations, it can potentially provide them access to technical spaces where key decisions on issues like mitigation strategies, adaptation measures and the financing of initiatives are made. This would allow them to play an important diplomatic role in decision-making, says Chaturvedi. Among top examples of women negotiators influencing international climate talks is Sherry Rehman, the former climate minister of Pakistan. As the G77 chair at COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, she led the negotiations on loss and damage for the G77, where a commitment to set up a dedicated Loss and Damage Fund was made. Meanwhile, Sunita Narain, an environmental policy researcher from India, served on COP28 President Sultan Al Jaber’s advisory panel. As director general of the Centre for Science and Environment in Delhi, Narain is a prominent advocate for recognising historical responsibility when considering greenhouse gas emissions. Not everything lies in the numbers The mere presence of women in climate negotiations does not guarantee influence or systemic change, however. Chaturvedi is cautious about assuming that more women at COPs would create significant impact, as strategic decision-making often happens centrally, within ministries. “A better outcome is that gender interests are incorporated into negotiations,” she says. Salam agrees, and suggests the power and clout women hold at the table are more important than the numbers alone. “We have had powerful women with strong leadership capabilities in the past, but these were only exceptions, not the norm.” Broader issues lie in the nature of COPs themselves. Many question the efficacy of COPs in driving meaningful climate action, especially when civil society groups face restrictions. Chaturvedi notes: “When you shut down protests, you are also shutting down a lot of women’s voices, because there are a lot of women in the justice conversation.” Key to women’s solidarity is South Asian cooperation Political crises compound the climate crisis in the absence of regional cooperation. Salam highlights the urgent need for cross-border cooperation between India and Pakistan: “We are independent countries, but we have shared problems. We have transboundary rivers and hence we share similar water problems. Delhi and Lahore share the same air pollution issues.” While such collaboration is challenging due to complex intergovernmental relationships, Chaturvedi argues that more investment in female solidarity- and confidence-building is essential. “The power of civil society is rooted in solidarity, and this solidarity would come from panels and conversations.” There are small glimmers of hope, though. Last year, the COP28 presidency urged parties to bring gender-balanced delegations. Parties also agreed that the final review of the implementation of the enhanced Lima Work Programme on Gender (LWPG) will be concluded this month. Established in 2014 at COP20 in Peru, the LWPG aims to advance gender balance and ensure women’s equal and meaningful participation. Through an open letter, the Women and Gender Constituency has urged negotiators at COP29 to include gender-responsive measures in climate policies and address the barriers preventing women’s full participation in climate negotiations. Time will tell if gender equality truly gains ground in climate change decision-making.

Assessing Indian climatic conditions in 2024

India faced extreme weather events on 93% of days in the first nine months of this year, marked by heat and cold waves, cyclones, lightning, heavy rain, floods, and landslides. These alarming statistics, and much more, are according to the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) and Down to Earth’s (DTE) annual state of extreme weather report. The annual ‘Climate India 2024’ report highlights that extreme weather events have been steadily on the rise in India. It states that these events claimed 3238 lives, affected 3.2 million hectares (mha) of crops, destroyed 235,862 houses, and killed approximately 9457 livestock, as per a DTE press release. Compared to this, the first nine months of 2023 recorded extreme weather on 235 of 273 days, with 2923 deaths, 1.84 mha of crops affected, 80,293 houses damaged, and 92,519 animal deaths. The DTE data analysts, who have compiled this report, point out, “it is very likely that even these reported damages are an underestimation due to incomplete data collection on event-specific losses, particularly on public property and crop damages”. The year 2024 also set several climate records, as per the report. January was India’s ninth driest since 1901. In February, the country recorded its second-highest minimum temperature in 123 years. May saw the fourth-highest mean temperature on record, and the months of July, August and September all registered their highest minimum temperatures since 1901.In the Northwest, January was the second driest, and July recorded the region’s second-highest minimum temperature. The Southern Peninsula saw its hottest February ever, followed by exceptionally hot and dry March and April, but with a 36.5% surplus in July rainfall and the second-highest minimum temperature in August. Speaking at the launch of the report, CSE director general and DTE editor Sunita Narain said, as per the press release, “These record-breaking statistics reflect climate change’s impact, where events that used to occur once every century are now happening every five years or even less. This frequency is overwhelming the most vulnerable populations, who lack the resources to adapt to this relentless cycle of loss and damage.” The report finds that in terms of event types, the past nine months have seen everything from lightning and storms – spanning 32 states and resulting in 1021 deaths – to relentless monsoon rains, which led to flooding across various regions. In Assam alone, heavy rains, floods and landslides were recorded on 122 days, leaving large parts of the state submerged and communities devastated. Nationwide, 1376 lives were lost due to floods. Madhya Pradesh experienced extreme weather on 176 days – the most in the country. Kerala recorded the highest fatalities at 550, followed by Madhya Pradesh (353) and Assam (256). Andhra Pradesh had the most houses damaged (85,806), while Maharashtra, which saw extreme events on 142 days, accounted for over 60% of the affected crop area nation-wide, followed by Madhya Pradesh (25,170 ha). Regionally, Central India faced the highest frequency of extreme events with 218 days, followed closely by the Northwest at 213 days. In terms of lives lost, the Central region had the most deaths (1001), followed by the Southern Peninsula (762 deaths), East and Northeast (741 deaths) and Northwest (734 deaths). The CSE researchers also point out that the report highlights a critical shift that is needed in our approach to extreme events — from disaster response to risk reduction and resilience-building. Flood management, for example, requires more than plans on paper; it calls for the strategic development of drainage and water recharge systems, along with expanded green spaces and forests to act as natural water reservoirs in preparation for future storms. The report also emphasizes the need for climate reparations from high-emission countries responsible for much of the damage. Climate models are clear: extreme weather events are set to become more frequent and severe. As Narain adds, “This trend is no longer hypothetical — it is visible in the escalating crises we face today. This report is not good news, but it is a necessary warning, a call to recognise nature’s backlash and the urgent action required to mitigate it. Without combating climate change at a meaningful scale, today’s challenges will only worsen tomorrow.”

At UN climate talks, nations big and small get chance to bear witness to climate change

BAKU, Azerbaijan — More than two dozen world leaders are delivering remarks at the United Nations' annual climate conference Wednesday, with many hart-hit nations detailing their nations' firsthand experience with the catastrophic weather that has come with climate change. Leader after leader recounted climate disasters, with each one seeming to top the other. Grenada's prime minister Dickon Mitchell detailed a 15-month drought at the beginning of the year giving way to a Category 5 Hurricane Beryl. ''At this very moment, as I stand here yet again, my island has been devastated by flash flooding, landslides and the deluge of excessive rainfall, all in the space of a matter of a couple hours,'' Mitchell said. ''It may be small island developing states today. It will be Spain tomorrow. It will be Florida the day after. It's one planet.'' Small island nations call for stronger climate action Grenada's premier wasn't the only small island nation leader who came with fighting words. Prime minister Philip Edward Davis warned that ''it will be our children and grandchildren who bear the burden, their dreams reduced to memories of what could have been.'' ''We do not — cannot — accept that our survival is merely an option,'' Davis said. Davis said too often progress in the fight against climate change gets hurt when governments change, as is happening in the United States and Germany. ''If we leave climate action to the whims of political cycles, our planet's future becomes precarious, very precarious,'' Davis said. ''The climate crisis does not pause for elections or to accommodate the way of changing political ideas or ties. It demands continuity, commitment and most of all, solidarity.'' Leaders on a panel with members of the High Ambition Coalition, a group of nations that want to see strong climate action, highlighted the ''inverted morality'' of big emitters who aren't taking responsibility for their impacts on countries who have the most to lose. Gaston Browne, the prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda, said high-polluting nations are ''deliberately burning the planet." Past promises of financial aid went unfulfilled for too long, so small island nations will have to seek justice and compensation in international courts, he said. Marshall Islands president Hilda Heine called the climate crisis ''the most pressing security threat'' her country faces, but said she thinks the Paris Agreement process — where countries agreed to limit warming to 1.5 degrees (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) since pre-industrial times — is resilient. Azerbaijan president Ilham Aliyev took the opportunity to align his country with the predicament of small island developing states in a speech where he called out developed countries, in particular France and the Netherlands, for their colonial histories. He described the harms of colonialism that continue today. Biodiversity loss, rising seas and extreme weather hit communities that are often ''ruthlessly suppressed,'' he said. The United States also tried to show sympathy to hard-hit places. ''Do we secure prosperity for our countries or do we condemn our most vulnerable to unimaginable climate disasters?'' United States chief climate envoy John Podesta said. ''Vulnerable communities do not just need ambition. They need action.'' European leaders recount a year of extreme weather European nations also warned of climate catastrophe on their continent. ''Over the past year, catastrophic floods in Spain, Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as in southern Croatia have shown the devastating impact of rising temperatures,'' said Croatia's prime minister, Andrej Plenkovic. ''The Mediterranean, one of the most vulnerable regions, calls for urgent action.'' Albania Prime Minister Edi Rama said he was dismayed by the lack of political action and political will and leaders of many nations not showing up at climate talks as extreme weather strikes harder and more frequently. Frustrated with other leaders mere talk, Rama decried that ''life goes on with old habits" and all these speeches filled with good intent change nothing. ''What is happening in Europe and around the world today doesn't leave much room for optimism, though optimism is the only way of survival,'' Rama said. Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Europe and the world needs to be ''more honest'' about the trade-offs needed to keep global temperatures down. ''We need to ask hard questions about a path that goes very fast, at the expense of our competitiveness, and a path that goes some much slower, but allows our industry to adapt and to thrive,'' he said. His nation this summer was hammered by successive heat waves after three years of below-average rainfall. The misery included water shortages, dried-up lakes and the death of wild horses. Ireland environment minister Eamon Ryan channeled some hope, saying that the 2015 Paris climate treaty ''still lives'' and that countries who drop out will realize they are falling behind as other countries move forward and see benefits to their economies. Negotiators labor on for elusive deal on money Negotiators at the summit are looking to hammer out a deal on how much money, and in what form, developed countries will pledge for adapting to climate change and transitioning to clean energy for developing nations. On Wednesday morning, an early draft of what that final deal will look like was released, but it still contained multiple options that negotiators will wrestle over to reach a consensus by the end of the climate talks. David Waskow, director of international climate action at the World Resources Institute said the latest 34-page draft reflects ''all of the options on the table.'' ''Negotiators now need to work to boil it down to some key decisions'' that can be worked on at the second half of the summit. The latest draft ''does incorporate some new demands'' including an ask for one of the largest negotiating blocs — the G77 plus China — for $1.3 trillion in climate finance, said Avantika Goswami, a climate policy analyst with the New Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment. ''Developing countries have been clear that a provisional goal must be carved out to hold developed country governments to account,'' she said.

साफ सांस के लिए हो रहे प्रयासों को धता बता रही 'धूलगामी' योजनाएं, CSE ने रिपोर्ट में दी चेतावनी

दिल्ली-एनसीआर सहित कई शहरों में बढ़ते प्रदूषण को रोकने के लिए मलबे के बेहतर प्रबंधन की जरूरत है। सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट (सीएसई) ने एक रिपोर्ट जारी कर मलबे से होने वाले प्रदूषण पर चिंता जताई है। रिपोर्ट में दावा किया गया है कि जिस गति से निर्माण परियोजनाएं बढ़ रही हैं, उससे निकले वाले मलबे का स्तर जल्द ही दोगुना हो जाएगा। भवन, पुल, सड़क जैसे प्रोजेक्ट्स के निर्माण या तोड़फोड़ के दौरान जो कचरा या मलबा निकलता है, उसे सी एंड डी (कंस्ट्रक्शन एंड डिमॉलिशन) वेस्ट कहा जाता है। इस कचरे में कंक्रीट, सीमेंट, ईंट, पत्थर, लकड़ी, स्टील, कांच, पाइप, टाइलें, पेंट, दीवार के प्लास्टर आदि शामिल हैं। सीएसई ने देश भर के 35 में से 16 सी एंड डी वेस्ट प्लांटों की जांच की, जिसमें पाया गया कि ज्यादातर प्लांट अपनी क्षमता से काफी कम काम कर रहे हैं और आर्थिक रूप से व्यवहारिक भी नहीं हैं। सीएसई की एग्जीक्यूटिव डायरेक्टर, अनुमिता राय चौधरी ने कहा कि मलबे का उचित प्रबंधन कर धूल को काफी हद तक नियंत्रित किया जा सकता है, जिससे नैशनल क्लीन एयर प्रोग्राम (NCAP) के लक्ष्यों को हासिल करने में मदद मिलेगी। रिपोर्ट के अनुसार, भारत में अगले 20 साल में भवनों की संख्या दोगुनी होने का अनुमान है, जिससे रेत और बजरी की मांग बहुत अधिक बढ़ेगी और खनन भी बढ़ेगा। पिछले 20 साल में रेत के व्यापार में छह गुना वृद्धि हुई है। सीएसई के अनुसार सी एंड डी वेस्ट को रिसाइकल कर रेत और बजरी की मांग को कम किया जा सकता है। लगभग 80 से 85 प्रतिशत वेस्ट का दोबारा इस्तेमाल किया जा सकता है। रिपोर्ट में दिए गए सुझाव: - प्रोजेक्ट में शामिल कंपनियां, नगर पालिकाएं और रिसाइक्लिंग प्लांट संचालक मलबे को एकत्रित कर अलग-अलग करें। इसमें नगर पालिका और परिषद की भूमिका सबसे अहम है। - मलबे से बने रिसाइकल्ड उत्पादों के अधिक उपयोग के लिए नीतियां बनाई जाएं। - सिविक एजेंसियों में कर्मचारियों की कमी से अवैध डंपिंग को रोकने में समस्या आती है। - मलबे के निपटान और प्रबंधन की प्रक्रिया महंगी होने के कारण अवैध डंपिंग होती है, विशेषकर छोटे भवन मालिकों के लिए यह काफी खर्चीली है। दिल्ली मॉडल जैसे क्रॉस सब्सिडी को अपनाकर इसे व्यवहारिक बनाया जा सकता है। - मलबे को एकत्रित करने की प्रक्रिया को आसान बनाना होगा।

बकू COP29: जलवायु सम्मेलन में CBAM पर विवाद, विकसित और विकासशील देशों में टकराव

बकू, अज़रबैजान में चल रहे COP29 जलवायु सम्मेलन के पहले दिन का आरंभिक सत्र एक बड़े विवाद के कारण देरी से शुरू हुआ. भारत और चीन जैसे विकासशील देशों ने यूरोपीय संघ के कार्बन बॉर्डर एडजस्टमेंट मैकेनिज्म (CBAM) को सम्मेलन के एजेंडा में शामिल करने की मांग की, जिसका विकसित देशों ने कड़ा विरोध किया. CBAM पर यह विवाद सत्र के दौरान एक अहम मुद्दा बना रहा, जिससे सम्मेलन के एजेंडा पर व्यापक असर पड़ा. CBAM पर विवाद: क्या है विकासशील देशों की चिंता? CBAM, यूरोपीय संघ द्वारा प्रस्तावित एक कर व्यवस्था है जो लोहे, स्टील, सीमेंट, उर्वरक, और एल्युमीनियम जैसे ऊर्जा-गहन उत्पादों पर लगाया जाएगा. इसका उद्देश्य इन उत्पादों के निर्माण के दौरान उत्सर्जित कार्बन के आधार पर शुल्क लगाना है. यूरोपीय संघ का मानना है कि इस कर से घरेलू और विदेशी उत्पादकों के बीच कार्बन उत्सर्जन आधारित लागत में समानता आएगी, जो पर्यावरण के लिए लाभदायक होगी. विकासशील देशों का मानना है कि ऐसी नीतियाँ उनके लिए आर्थिक बोझ बन सकती हैं और उनके यूरोप के साथ व्यापार को महंगा बना सकती हैं. भारत की वित्त मंत्री निर्मला सीतारमण ने इसे "एकतरफा और मनमाना" बताया और चेताया कि इससे भारत के उद्योगों पर नकारात्मक प्रभाव पड़ेगा. सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट (CSE) के अनुसार, इस कर से भारत के सकल घरेलू उत्पाद पर 0.05% का प्रभाव पड़ सकता है. पहले दिन की मुख्य घटनाएं और वित्तीय एजेंडे पर तनाव COP29 का पहला सत्र काफी विलंब से शुरू हुआ. CBAM को एजेंडा में शामिल करने पर विकसित और विकासशील देशों के बीच तीखी बहस होती रही. UNFCCC प्रमुख साइमन स्टीएल ने सभी देशों से जल्द समाधान निकालने की अपील की और कहा कि जलवायु वित्त किसी भी देश के स्वार्थ में नहीं, बल्कि सभी के लाभ के लिए है. BASIC देशों (ब्राजील, दक्षिण अफ्रीका, भारत, चीन) ने एक प्रस्ताव पेश किया जिसमें CBAM जैसी व्यापारिक नीतियों को रोकने का आग्रह किया गया. विशेषज्ञों की राय: CBAM का संभावित प्रभाव BASIC देशों की चिंताओं का समर्थन करते हुए चीन क्लाइमेट हब के निदेशक ली शुओ ने कहा कि CBAM जैसी नीतियाँ विकासशील देशों के औद्योगिक हितों को नुकसान पहुँचा सकती हैं. तीसरी दुनिया नेटवर्क की मीना रमन ने जलवायु वित्त को COP29 का केंद्रीय मुद्दा बनाने की बात कही और कहा कि विकसित देश अन्य मुद्दों पर ध्यान केंद्रित कर रहे हैं, जबकि विकासशील देशों को वित्तीय सहायता की आवश्यकता है. निष्कर्ष: CBAM का भविष्य और COP29 की चुनौतियाँ COP29 में CBAM पर विवाद ने केवल जलवायु परिवर्तन ही नहीं, बल्कि वैश्विक व्यापार और आर्थिक स्थिरता के मुद्दों पर भी ध्यान केंद्रित किया है. विशेषज्ञों का मानना है कि ऐसी नीतियों में वैश्विक समन्वय का अभाव विकासशील देशों की प्रगति में बाधा डाल सकता है. COP29 में इस मुद्दे पर बने समझौते का प्रभाव न केवल पर्यावरण पर, बल्कि वैश्विक व्यापारिक नीतियों पर भी पड़ेगा.

विकराल रूप लेता जा रहा है धरती पर जलवायु संकट! निर्णायक कदमों की है सख्त जरूरत...

बढ़ते तापमान, बार-बार की प्राकृतिक आपदाएं और अप्रत्याशित मौसम घटनाएं—ये सभी संकेतक हैं कि धरती पर जलवायु संकट एक विकराल रूप लेता जा रहा है। भारत में रिकॉर्ड गर्म अक्टूबर, स्पेन में अचानक आई भीषण बाढ़, फ्लोरिडा में विनाशकारी तूफान, और दक्षिण अमेरिका के जंगलों में फैली आग, सभी इस खतरे को और स्पष्ट कर रहे हैं। इन हालातों में, दुनिया की नजरें अब संयुक्त राष्ट्र जलवायु शिखर सम्मेलन कॉप-29 पर टिकी हैं, जिसका आयोजन 11 नवंबर से अजरबैजान की राजधानी बाकू में शुरू हो चुका है। क्यों है कॉप-29 इतना महत्वपूर्ण? कॉप-29 का उद्देश्य न केवल जलवायु संकट पर चर्चा करना है, बल्कि कारगर समाधान पर भी सहमति बनाना है। वर्तमान में, ग्रीनहाउस गैसों का बढ़ता उत्सर्जन पृथ्वी की सीमाओं को पार कर रहा है। इससे निपटने के लिए सम्मेलन में इस बार खासतौर पर जीवाश्म ईंधनों के विकल्प तलाशने और उन्हें बढ़ावा देने के लिए वित्तीय सहायता जुटाने पर जोर दिया जा रहा है। कॉपरनिकस क्लाइमेट चेंज सर्विस (सी3एस) के वैज्ञानिकों का अनुमान है कि 2024 अब तक का सबसे गर्म वर्ष बन सकता है। यह उस ऐतिहासिक वर्ष को पीछे छोड़ देगा, जब 2023 में तापमान औद्योगिक युग से पहले की तुलना में 1.48 डिग्री सेल्सियस अधिक दर्ज किया गया था। विशेषज्ञों का मानना है कि 2024 में तापमान 1.5 डिग्री सेल्सियस की सीमा को पार कर सकता है, जो वैश्विक तापमान के बढ़ने में नए मील के पत्थर की तरह है। जलवायु परिवर्तन से भारत पर बढ़ता खतरा- जलवायु संकट का प्रभाव भारत पर भी गहरा हो रहा है। भारतीय मौसम विभाग (IMD) ने हाल ही में पुष्टि की है कि 1901 के बाद से, 2024 में अक्टूबर का महीना सबसे गर्म रहा। सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट (सीएसई) की रिपोर्ट के अनुसार, 2024 के पहले नौ महीनों में भारत ने 93% दिनों में चरम मौसमी घटनाओं का सामना किया। इसमें गर्मी और ठंडी हवाओं, चक्रवात, भारी वर्षा, बाढ़ और भूस्खलन जैसी आपदाएं शामिल हैं, जिनमें 3,238 लोगों की मौत हुई, और 32 लाख हेक्टेयर फसलें प्रभावित हुईं। क्या है संयुक्त राष्ट्र जलवायु परिवर्तन शिखर सम्मेलन? संयुक्त राष्ट्र जलवायु सम्मेलन या कॉप बैठकें एक ऐसा मंच हैं जहां दुनिया के लगभग सभी देश जलवायु संकट से निपटने के लिए मिलकर कदम उठाने पर सहमति बनाते हैं। यह मंच न केवल सरकारी प्रतिनिधियों, बल्कि व्यापारिक नेताओं, वैज्ञानिकों, और विभिन्न क्षेत्रों के विशेषज्ञों को भी अपनी चिंताएं और सुझाव साझा करने का अवसर देता है। पेरिस समझौते के तहत, 2015 में विश्व के नेताओं ने वैश्विक तापमान में हो रही वृद्धि को 2 डिग्री से कम रखने और इसे 1.5 डिग्री के अंदर सीमित करने का वादा किया था। कॉप-29 में इसका पालन करने और इसे और सख्त करने के प्रयासों पर जोर दिया जा रहा है। जलवायु वित्त और 'न्यू कलेक्टिव क्वांटिफाइड गोल'- बकू में इस बार चर्चा का केंद्र जलवायु वित्त का मुद्दा है। विकसित देशों ने पहले विकासशील देशों की मदद के लिए 100 अरब डॉलर का वादा किया था, लेकिन इस वित्तीय सहायता की आपूर्ति में कई चुनौतियां रही हैं। इस बार, कॉप-29 में 'न्यू कलेक्टिव क्वांटिफाइड गोल' (एनसीक्यूजी) पर सहमति बनने की उम्मीद है, जो पिछले वादे की जगह लेगा और जलवायु संकट से निपटने के लिए अधिक प्रभावी वित्तीय सहायता सुनिश्चित करेगा। क्या कहते हैं विशेषज्ञ? विशेषज्ञों का मानना है कि अगर वैश्विक जीडीपी का मात्र 1% जलवायु संकट से निपटने के लिए निवेश किया जाए, तो यह विकासशील देशों की जलवायु आवश्यकताओं को पूरा कर सकता है। सम्मेलन का उद्देश्य कार्बन उत्सर्जन को कम करने के साथ-साथ जलवायु परिवर्तन से हुए नुकसान की भरपाई के लिए वित्तीय सहायता जुटाना है। भारत और जलवायु नेतृत्व की चुनौतियां- भारत जैसे तेजी से विकासशील देश के लिए जलवायु परिवर्तन का मुद्दा बहुत चुनौतीपूर्ण है। भारत ने ऊर्जा की अपनी मांगों को पूरा करने के लिए अक्षय ऊर्जा का विस्तार किया है, पर जीवाश्म ईंधन पर निर्भरता अब भी अधिक है। इसके बावजूद, भारत ने अक्षय ऊर्जा और हाइड्रोजन जैसे साफ-सुथरे ऊर्जा स्रोतों पर बड़े निवेश की योजना बनाई है। भारत ने 2070 तक नेट-जीरो उत्सर्जन का लक्ष्य तय किया है, और यह कॉप-29 में भी अपने इन लक्ष्यों पर प्रगति साझा करेगा।

Big and small nations bear witness to climate change at annual UN conference

BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) — More than two dozen world leaders are delivering remarks at the United Nations’ annual climate conference Wednesday, with many hard-hit nations detailing their nations’ firsthand experience with the catastrophic weather that has come with climate change. Leader after leader recounted climate disasters, with each one seeming to top the other. Grenada’s prime minister Dickon Mitchell detailed a 15-month drought at the beginning of the year giving way to a Category 5 Hurricane Beryl. “At this very moment, as I stand here yet again, my island has been devastated by flash flooding, landslides and the deluge of excessive rainfall, all in the space of a matter of a couple hours,” Mitchell said. “It may be small island developing states today. It will be Spain tomorrow. It will be Florida the day after. It’s one planet.” Small island nations call for stronger climate action Grenada’s premier wasn’t the only small island nation leader who came with fighting words. Prime minister Philip Edward Davis warned that “it will be our children and grandchildren who bear the burden, their dreams reduced to memories of what could have been.” “We do not — cannot — accept that our survival is merely an option,” Davis said. Gaston Browne, the prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda, highlighted the “inverted morality” of big emitters who aren’t taking responsibility for their impacts on countries who have the most to lose. He said high-polluting nations are “deliberately burning the planet.” Past promises of financial aid went unfulfilled for too long, so small island nations will have to seek justice and compensation in international courts, Browne said. Marshall Islands president Hilda Heine called the climate crisis “the most pressing security threat” her country faces, but said she thinks the Paris Agreement process — where countries agreed to limit warming to 1.5 degrees (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) since pre-industrial times — is resilient. Azerbaijan president Ilham Aliyev took the opportunity to align his country with the predicament of small island developing states in a speech where he called out developed countries, in particular France and the Netherlands, for their colonial histories. He described the harms of colonialism that continue today. Biodiversity loss, rising seas and extreme weather hit communities that are often “ruthlessly suppressed,” he said. The United States also tried to show sympathy to hard-hit places. “Do we secure prosperity for our countries or do we condemn our most vulnerable to unimaginable climate disasters?” United States chief climate envoy John Podesta said. “Vulnerable communities do not just need ambition. They need action.” European leaders recount a year of extreme weather European nations also warned of climate catastrophe on their continent. “Over the past year, catastrophic floods in Spain, Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as in southern Croatia have shown the devastating impact of rising temperatures,” said Croatia’s prime minister, Andrej Plenkovic. “The Mediterranean, one of the most vulnerable regions, calls for urgent action.” Albania Prime Minister Edi Rama said he was dismayed by the lack of political action and political will and leaders of many nations not showing up at climate talks as extreme weather strikes harder and more frequently. Frustrated with other leaders mere talk, Rama decried that “life goes on with old habits” and all these speeches filled with good intent change nothing. READ MORE: Leaders of the world’s biggest polluters are skipping UN climate talks “What is happening in Europe and around the world today doesn’t leave much room for optimism, though optimism is the only way of survival,” Rama said. Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Europe and the world needs to be “more honest” about the trade-offs needed to keep global temperatures down. “We need to ask hard questions about a path that goes very fast, at the expense of our competitiveness, and a path that goes some much slower, but allows our industry to adapt and to thrive,” he said. His nation this summer was hammered by successive heat waves after three years of below-average rainfall. The misery included water shortages, dried-up lakes and the death of wild horses. Ireland environment minister Eamon Ryan channeled some hope, saying that the 2015 Paris climate treaty “still lives” and that countries who drop out will realize they are falling behind as other countries move forward and see benefits to their economies. Negotiators labor on for elusive deal on money Negotiators at the summit are looking to hammer out a deal on how much money, and in what form, developed countries will pledge for adapting to climate change and transitioning to clean energy for developing nations. On Wednesday morning, an early draft of what that final deal will look like was released, but it still contained multiple options that negotiators will wrestle over to reach a consensus by the end of the climate talks. David Waskow, director of international climate action at the World Resources Institute said the latest 34-page draft reflects “all of the options on the table.” “Negotiators now need to work to boil it down to some key decisions” that can be worked on at the second half of the summit. The latest draft “does incorporate some new demands” including an ask for one of the largest negotiating blocs — the G77 plus China — for $1.3 trillion in climate finance, said Avantika Goswami, a climate policy analyst with the New Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment. “Developing countries have been clear that a provisional goal must be carved out to hold developed country governments to account,” she said. In a veiled reference to China, Germany’s climate envoy Jennifer Morgan said all climate-polluting countries should make contributions to climate funds, one of the most contentious issues being debated at the climate talks in Baku this year. “There are countries that have been successful and prosperous over the last years since 1992, and they also can make a great contribution to getting funds into developing countries,” she said.

Baku Climate Talks: G77, China Reject Framework for Draft Text on New Climate Finance Goal

G77 and China, the largest bloc representing around 130 countries at the UN climate talks, on Tuesday rejected the framework for a draft negotiating text on a new climate finance goal -- the central issue at this year's climate summit in Baku, Azerbaijan. The group has also called for an ambitious climate finance target of USD 1.3 trillion, dedicated exclusively to developing countries and covering adaptation, mitigation and loss and damage. G77 and China rejected the substantive framework for a draft negotiating text prepared by the co-chairs of the Ad-Hoc Work Programme on the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG), arguing that it does not accurately reflect the concerns raised by developing countries. he group demanded that the newly-appointed co-chairs of the NCQG contact group prepare a new text for consideration at the next session. Other groups of developing countries, including the Like-Minded Developing Countries (LMDCs), Alliance of Small Island Developing States (AOSIS), Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Independent Alliance of Latin America and the Caribbean (AILAC), backed G77 and China in this rejection. According to the Loss and Damage Collaboration, an international coalition of climate researchers and activists, G77 and China demanded that the new climate finance package meet their needs and priorities, with a minimum quantum of USD 1.3 trillion, which should support mitigation, adaptation and loss and damage initiatives. The group stressed that the NCQG should not become a global investment goal and it should be a dedicated financial support from developed countries. On the other hand, developed countries want everyone (governments, private companies, investors) to invest in tackling climate change, not to set a strict funding amount that only developed countries need to provide. Developing countries also insist that the new climate finance goal should prioritise public, grant-based and concessional finance, as these types of funding are less burdensome for nations already facing financial challenges. According to the Delhi-based think tank Centre for Science and Environment, developing countries are also calling for developed nations to provide arrears for the USD 100 billion climate finance goal agreed to in 2009.

The Indian Waste-to-Energy Failure

An investigative report by The New York Times has leveled major accusations against the operators of the Timarpur-Okhla waste-burning plant in India's National Capital Territory of Delhi as well as government officials regulating the country's burgeoning waste-to-energy sector. According to the article, the smoke emanating from the plant contains more than the legal amount of toxins by a long shot, while ashes produced by the burning of waste for electricity generation have been dumped illegally close to homes in the city. Residents had protested the plant for years, complaining of respiratory issues and headaches, among other ailments, while accusations of increased miscarriage and birth defects were also leveled. While up-to-date numbers of waste-burning plants in India are hard to come by and even the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has deleted this number from its most recent report, there are around 10 plants operational in the country burning waste for electricity. Four of them are located in Delhi, with Timarpur-Okhla being the oldest, having opened in 2012, and the Tehkhand plant only having started commercial operations last year. Delhi is also the city with the highest amount of general household waste generated in India by some margin due to its size but also lack of garbage sorting. The country's first waste-to-electricity plant also opened in Delhi in 1987 but shut down soon after, being plagued by issues. According to NGO Centre for Financial Accountability - which estimated the number of waste-burning plants in the country at 10 in December 2022, same as the government did as of March 2023 - around as many plants as are operational in India have failed to operate commercially due to a myriad of problems associated with them. Yet, the Indian government keeps pushing for the technology to be expanded along with other waste-to-energy schemes. The number of plants under construction was put at around 10-15 as of FY 2022-23, with the number of proposed plants even higher. This is despite the fact that issues with waste-burning plants in India are well known. As of 2019, the Centre for Science and Environment already pointed out that burning household waste and generating electricity in the process might have been seen as a quick and satisfying fix in a country that generates an increasing amount of waste and is struggling to sort and treat it accordingly. The centers report further states that additional to public pushback against this type of plant, India has issues due to the type of waste it produces. Countries successfully operating waste-to-energy burning usually separate and treat recyclables and organic waste at other plants. Indian waste is more mixed and therefore not as suitable for burning. Secondly, the CSE rates India's ability to enforce stringent emission standards and monitor plans accordingly as insufficient, especially as the need to do so rises as the quality of incinerated waste decreases.

इस सीज़न में पहली बार दिल्ली की हवा ‘गंभीर’ स्तर पर पहुंची

इस सर्दी के मौसम में पहली बार, दिल्ली की वायु गुणवत्ता बुधवार को ‘गंभीर’ श्रेणी में गिर गई, एनसीआर और आसपास के क्षेत्रों में वायु गुणवत्ता प्रबंधन आयोग (सीएक्यूएम) ने गिरावट के लिए “अभूतपूर्व घने” कोहरे को जिम्मेदार ठहराया। केंद्रीय प्रदूषण नियंत्रण बोर्ड (सीपीसीबी) के अनुसार, दिल्ली बुधवार को देश का सबसे प्रदूषित शहर था। शहर का 24 घंटे का AQI, शाम 4 बजे दर्ज किया गया, जो पिछले दिन 334 से बढ़कर 418 था। सीएक्यूएम ने कहा कि तेज हवाओं के कारण गुरुवार से प्रदूषक सांद्रता में गिरावट का रुख दिखने की उम्मीद है और एक्यूआई के “बहुत खराब” श्रेणी में पहुंचने की संभावना है। सीपीसीबी के आंकड़ों के अनुसार, 2015 के बाद से, पिछले वर्षों की तुलना में, यह दिल्ली में एक सीज़न में देखा गया सबसे विलंबित ‘गंभीर’ AQI दिवस था। सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट में अनुसंधान और वकालत की कार्यकारी निदेशक अनुमिता रॉयचौधरी ने कहा: “इस बार, वायुमंडलीय स्थितियों की परिवर्तनशीलता ने देरी से ‘गंभीर’ AQI दर्ज करने में भूमिका निभाई। लेकिन अक्टूबर में पिछले वर्षों की तुलना में अपेक्षाकृत अधिक ‘खराब’ और ‘बहुत खराब’ एक्यूआई दिन देखे गए। दीवाली का एपिसोडिक प्रदूषण आमतौर पर टिपिंग पॉइंट बन जाता है लेकिन इस बार यह गर्म अवधि में था इसलिए इसका ज्यादा महत्व नहीं था… लेकिन, वार्षिक उत्सर्जन अनुमेय सीमा से काफी ऊपर है।

Delhi pollution: GRAP-II on since Oct 22, AQI stays in upper end of ‘very poor’ at most hotspots

NEW DELHI: Delhi environment department has identified 57 significant pollution sources across 13 hotspots in the city that are receiving priority attention this winter season. According to officials, they successfully addressed 10 major pollution sources in the previous year. Track the pollution level in your city An analysis by Delhi Pollution Control Committee has revealed that after GRAP Stage-II came into force on Oct 22, the average AQI has remained in the upper end of the 'very poor' range across most of the 13 identified pollution hotspots. From Oct 22 to Nov 11, data showed Anand Vihar registering the highest average AQI of 394, with Jahangirpuri following at 376. During a review meeting on air pollution held by Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Nov 8, Delhi environment department said that out of 57 sources, the highest were identified at Mundka and Anand Vihar, which was seven each. A senior official said a fresh mapping of sources was done ahead of this winter, along with a survey on the old sources existing at the hotspots. "We have revised the sources at each hotspot. The new sources have been shared with agencies concerned... to resolve the issues soon," the official said. At Anand Vihar, the pollution sources include a damaged road at the bus station, congestion on Chaudhary Charan Singh Marg, a construction site, a broken divider under the foot overbridge and roadside dust. Jahangirpuri's five major pollution sources are biomass burning, heavy congestion and road dust, Bhalswa sanitary landfill, a construction site and an unpaved road, construction and demolition plant, and DMRC casting plant. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director for research and advocacy at Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), said: "It is important to take hyperlocal action at hotspots.... This may lead to some local reduction. For sustained improvement, we need to scale up city-wide action for overall improvement in air quality." An official of the environment department said 10% of Delhi's total water sprinklers and mechanised road sweepers have been deployed at these 13 hotspots. Twenty-two water sprinklers and eight out of 85 mechanised road sweeping machines have been deployed in the hotspots. A total of 60 anti-mobile smog guns have also been deployed. Besides, 84 enforcement teams of traffic police are on the ground. Delhi Pollution Control Committee and Central Pollution Control Board identified 13 pollution hotspots in 2018. Hotspots are defined as those whose annual PM2.5 concentration was higher than the mean PM2.5 levels of the city. These are Anand Vihar, Mundka, Wazirpur, Jahangirpuri, RK Puram, Rohini, Punjabi Bagh, Okhla, Bawana, Vivek Vihar, Narela, Ashok Vihar, and Dwarka.

Fight over including carbon border tax in agenda delays climate talks on day one

Developing countries, including China and India, sparred with rich nations over including "unilateral trade measures", such as the European Union's carbon border tax, in the agenda of the UN climate talks, delaying the formal start of the conference on Monday. Agenda disputes are common at UN climate conferences but this one is especially significant as countries have limited time to agree on a new climate finance goal to help developing countries adapt to and fight climate change, the central issue this year. The conference opened with Azerbaijan, the host of this year's UN climate conference, calling on all countries to urgently resolve outstanding issues to agree on a new climate finance goal, which UN climate chief Simon Stiell said is in the self-interest of every nation.

COP29: Climate talks off to rocky start, but carbon mkts mechanism approved

New Delhi: The COP29 climate negotiations opened in Baku on Monday with proceedings stalled for hours over disagreements on key matters on the agenda, but countries later approved new UN standards for international carbon markets in a key step towards allowing countries to trade credits to meet climate targets. Among the early deadlock was including the scope of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) dialogue on finance under the global stocktake (GST): Whether dialogue will be limited to finance or cover all issues under GST? The opening plenary, scheduled for Monday afternoon following addresses by COP29 President Mukhtar Babayev and UN Climate head Simon Stiell, could resume only hours after intense negotiations. Some observers said requests for the agenda to also include unilateral trade measures held up talks. Later, however, UN climate negotiations gavelled through guidelines for carbon removals — the carbon market aspect — under Article 6.4 of the Paris Agreement without debate or public scrutiny. Myriam Douo, Oil Change International’s false solutions expert, said: “This is a bad process and a worse outcome. By trying to ram through loose standards for dangerous carbon crediting mechanisms behind closed doors, the Supervisory Board is handing Big Oil a gift and setting course for climate disaster.” According to observers, the key issue that held up discussions was earlier related to the global stocktake, which in simpler terms refers to the world’s first collective climate action report card, which was formalised for the first time in UAE last year. “EU and the Umbrella group (consisting of Canada, Iceland, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, Kazakhstan, Norway, Ukraine and the United States among others) have concerns with agenda on dialogue related to finance under GST,” said a negotiator, who asked not to be named. A compromise was eventually reached through a footnote on the UAE dialogue, stating its placement wouldn’t prejudge scope beyond finance discussions. The delay came shortly after UN climate chief Simon Stiell delivered a forceful message to wealthy nations about climate finance. “Now is the time to show that global cooperation is not down for the count,” Stiell told delegates, warning rich countries to “dispense with any idea that climate finance is charity”. “An ambitious new climate finance goal is entirely in the self-interest of every nation, including the largest and wealthiest,” he emphasised, addressing the central challenge facing the conference — establishing a new climate funding framework for developing nations. The shadow of Donald Trump’s election victory loomed large over the proceedings, prompting US climate envoy John Podesta to offer reassurances about America’s continued commitment to climate action. Babayev outlined the presidency’s priorities, emphasising the need for a “fair and ambitious New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) on climate finance”. The divide over climate finance remains stark. India has called for developed countries to provide at least $1 trillion annually, while Brazil, speaking for several South American nations, has estimated developing country needs at $5.8-5.9 trillion for the pre-2030 period. The Arab group proposed $1.1tn in transfers from developed to developing countries. The NCQG is meant to succeed the previous climate financing mechanism, which required rich nations to deliver $100bn annually to developing countries. This arrangement reflected the principle that nations with historically higher emissions and greater resources should contribute more than poorer countries with lower historical emissions. According to the Centre for Science and Environment, COP29 represents the most significant climate conference since Paris in 2015, given the crucial role of financial support in helping developing countries achieve climate goals. The think tank suggests spending less than 1% of global GDP annually (about $1tn ) could meet developing countries’ immediate climate needs. Stiell emphasised the urgency of reaching an agreement, stating, “We cannot leave Baku without a substantial outcome. Appreciating the importance of this moment, Parties need to act accordingly. Show determination and ingenuity here at COP29.” The conference has already seen diminished high-level participation, with major powers including the US, China, and India not seeking speaking slots for their heads of state.