Day 5 at COP29
As Day 5 wraps up, we have more disappointing news from Baku. As revealed by the coalition Kick Big Polluters Out (KBPO) - at least 1,773 fossil fuel lobbyists are attending COP29 this year. This makes them the 4th largest delegation at the UNFCCC event - after Azerbaijan, Brazil, and Turkey - and much larger than the combined delegations of the 10 most climate-vulnerable nations, according to Euronews. The coalition found that most of the lobbyists arrived as part of several trade association delegations, and the vast majority from the Global North; International Emissions Trading Association, Federation of German Industries, and BusinessEurope brought the largest groups of lobbyists. Italy, Japan, and even the UK - who earlier this week announced new ambitious climate targets - all brought lobbyists from the fossil fuel industry as part of their delegation.
Kathy Muley, the Accountability Director for the Union of Concerned Scientists Climate and Energy Programme stated “Fossil fuel corporations and their surrogates shouldn’t have a seat at the negotiating table where climate policy is being made - allowing them that access is like setting the cat loose among the pigeons.”
A letter released by former UN Secretary General Ba Ki-Moon and former president of Ireland Mary Robinson, among others - addressed to UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Simon Stiell the Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC Secretariat - called for a complete overhaul of the COP process, as it’s no longer fit for purpose. This call was a reiteration of the letter sent in February 2023 to the Secretary-General and UNFCCC Secretariat.
An excerpt from the letter:
“Global emissions continue to increase, carbon sinks are being degraded and we can no longer exclude the
possibility of surpassing 2.9°C of warming by 2100. Our first encounter with 1.5°C was accompanied by unprecedented human impacts coupled with enormous climate costs running into the hundreds of billions in 2023. Science tells us that global greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced by 7.5% annually to have any chance of staying within the 1.5°C threshold, a prerequisite for the stability of our planet and a livable future for much of humanity. In 2024, the task is unequivocal: global greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced by 4 billion tonnes.
28 COPs have delivered us with the policy framework to achieve this. However, its current structure simply cannot deliver the change at exponential speed and scale, which is essential to ensure a safe climate landing for humanity. This is what compels our call for a fundamental overhaul of the COP. We need a shift from negotiation to implementation, enabling the COP to deliver on agreed commitments and ensure the urgent energy transition and phase-out of fossil energy.”
Discussions also intensified around climate finance, particularly focusing on the mechanisms for support to vulnerable nations. Key highlights included the announcement of a new initiative aimed at enhancing access to funds for adaptation projects in developing countries, which was met with cautious optimism among delegates. Additionally, a series of panels addressed the integration of indigenous knowledge into climate action strategies, emphasising the importance of local perspectives in global efforts. The day concluded with a commitment from several nations (Germany, Canada, Japan, Brazil, and South Africa) to increase their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) as part of their ongoing efforts to combat climate change.
A short roundup of the day can be found on EuroNews here:
