COP29 or FLOP29?

 

Two weeks ago I wrote as the United Nations COP29 climate conference got underway. I expressed my cynicism about these gathering and the weasel words of wealthier nations when it comes to making a difference to the climate emergency. I did express a glimmer of hope but it felt like whistling in the dark, especially since the host country was Azerbijan, a petro-state with no interest in curbing fossil fuel extraction, not to mention a lousy human rights record. The nations most affected asked for 1.3 trillion dollars in aid from rich nation to make the carbon transition and got 300 billion. While that seems like a lot more than spare change it isn't enough. 

Katharine Hayhoe is Canadian climate scientist now living and teaching in Texas. She is an evangelical  who bucks the trend of climate change denying conservative Christians. She is wise, science-based, and refuses to give up hope because of her faith in God the Creator. I've heard her speak and admire her greatly. Yesterday she shared an assessment of this conference with the title COP29 or FLOP29? Here are a few paragraphs:

Why global action always falls short—and what you can do to help

Negotiations at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, ended today. The final proposal asks wealthy nations to provide $300 billion a year to help poorer nations make the energy transition and adapt to climate change.   This is more than the $100 billion commitment from a few years ago, but during the negotiations, a previous offer for $250 billion per year was called “insulting” and “unacceptable” by poorer nations. In response, the coalition of small island states and least-developed countries walked out. The Independent High Level Expert Group on Climate Finance estimates that developing countries need around $1 trillion a year.   These ongoing challenges highlight a fundamental issue: while these Conferences of the Parties are necessary for global climate negotiations, they fall far short of the urgent and transformative action we need.   First, the structure and format of these meetings, unchanged since the inaugural one in 1995, no longer meet the scale or complexity of today’s climate crisis. For that reason, I signed this open letter advocating for critical reforms to COP. One of the key recommendations is that countries unwilling to commit to phasing out fossil fuels should no longer be eligible to host these conferences. As the letter states, “Host countries must demonstrate their high level of ambition to uphold the goals of the Paris Agreement.”   Second, I believe climate action must extend well beyond national gatherings. It has to become a shared responsibility across every region and sector. We need collaborative efforts where cities unite to share solutions, organizations strive to outdo each other in tangible progress, and energy companies come together to lead industry-wide transformations. If we are to meet our climate goals, we don’t just need better COPs; we have to re-imagine how we mobilize change at every level. It's all rather sobering, and guess who's coming to the White House?