Your October Climate Newsletter:
Next stop, Baku for COP29
Did you know that across the globe, people are becoming more aware of the urgent threat posed by climate change, and that their calls for action are growing louder?
Earlier this year, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) conducted a survey of 73,000 people across 77 countries to gauge public opinion on climate action. This extensive survey revealed that an astonishing 80 per cent of respondents believed their governments should do more to combat climate change, with 72 per cent advocating for a rapid transition away from fossil fuels.
This growing global awareness and push for more action is timely.
Addressing the United Nations General Assembly in September, Secretary-General António Guterres warned: "We are in a climate meltdown. Extreme temperatures, raging fires, droughts, and epic floods are not natural disasters. They are human disasters – increasingly fuelled by fossil fuels. No country is spared. But the poorest and most vulnerable are hardest hit."
| | In just a few weeks, on November 11, Heads of State and government will gather in Baku, Azerbaijan, for the 29th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, known as COP29. The delegations will have two weeks to find solutions to the pressing challenges posed by climate change, including ways to finance transition to clean energy and setting other important goals.
Whether they can meet the aspirations of their constituents and accelerate efforts to meet the goals established by the Paris Agreement remains to be seen.
In the meantime, UN News will strive to keep you informed about the latest developments on the climate agenda, the updates on COP29 preparation, and the knowledge necessary for effective climate action.
Don't miss the reference materials we share with you, including the new Nature Edition of the Climate Dictionary by UNDP. | | Climate finance front and centre in Baku Last year, COP 28, the UN Climate Change Conference in Dubai, paved the way for implementing the Paris Agreement's enhanced transparency framework and called for a transition away from fossil fuels.
Now in Baku, at COP 29, governments must establish a new climate finance goal, reflecting the scale and urgency of the climate challenge, bridging the global effort with COP 30 in Belem, Brazil, when countries need to present new national climate action plans - called nationally determined contributions - that are economy-wide, covering all greenhouse gases and fully aligned with the 1.5°C temperature limit. | | Addressing the preparatory meeting of the 29th session of Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (Pre-COP29) held in Baku last week, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed called for urgent climate action, emphasising the need for increased financial investments, reforms in global financial architecture and a transition away from fossil fuels.
With "extreme weather devastating lives and livelihoods around the world with those who contributed the least paying the highest price", Ms. Mohammed reiterated the Secretary-General's message that we are at a moment of truth in our fight against rising temperatures.
"We are minutes to midnight in our efforts to limit the rise in global temperature to 1.5-degree Celsius," she said. "We are witnessing the consequences of inaction in real time."
Despite this, Ms. Mohammed said, "There is hope and we are moving in the right direction". She recalled the progress since the signing of the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change, noting that "at the COP28 countries committed to make 1.5°C a reality [for] the next generation of NDCs and [they] acknowledged that the transition away from fossil fuels must accelerate in this critical decade." | | What else is on the agenda for COP 29: Five highlights As we gear up for COP29, it would be helpful to get a quick overview of the topics that will be covered. Here are the top five objectives that our colleagues at the Institute for Environment and Human Security and the United Nations University came up with after doing their research:
1. A new global climate finance target must be established,
2. Countries need to enhance their ambitions and set expectations for the upcoming cycle of national climate plans,
3. COP29 will prepare the Loss and Damage Funds to ensure effective outcomes,
4. COP29 will promote adaptation efforts by assisting countries in transitioning from planning to implementing their adaptation strategies,
5. There will be a focus on the connections between climate, nature, land, and urban areas.
For a more detailed account of what to expect at the Baku COP, check out this article by the United Nations University experts. | | |
What's up with climate:
UN News stories
| | | 'Climate crunch time is here,' new UN report warns Annual greenhouse gas emissions are at an all-time high, and urgent action must be taken to prevent catastrophic spikes in temperature and avoid the worst impact of climate change, according to a new report released by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). In short, countries must start curbing emissions immediately, according to the UN Emissions Gap Report 2024. Read more | | | | A 'people's COP' to heal the planet: UN biodiversity summit opens in Colombia UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged delegations from some 190 countries to "make peace with nature" and shore up a plan to stop habitat loss, save endangered species, and preserve our planet's precious ecosystems as the latest UN biodiversity summit got under way in Cali, Colombia. Read more | | | Nepal: Hundreds killed as 'unprecedented' flash floods strike capital Kathmandu More than 215 people, including 35 children, killed and dozens are missing after heavy rains triggered flash floods and landslides across Nepal. Many of the deaths have occurred in Kathmandu, the capital, which witnessed the most intense rains in over half a century.
Read more | | | Water is 'canary in the coalmine' of climate change: WMO
According to WMO's State of Global Water Resources Report, over the last five years below-normal conditions for river flows have been recorded with less water reaching reservoirs. Scarce supplies have reduced the amount of water available for communities, agriculture and ecosystems.
Read more | | | From vulnerability to action: Asia-Pacific leaders urge global responsibility At the UN General Assembly, leaders from Asia and the Pacific underscored a dire reality: climate change is a clear and present danger for everyone on the Planet, but their countries and peoples will likely suffer the most. The UN is the platform for driving unified and decisive action to mitigate this threat, they said. Read more | | | WMO and FIS highlight damaging impact of climate change on winter sports The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and The International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) are partnering to raise awareness about climate change's harmful effects on winter sports and tourism, including the extensive impacts on snow and ice.
Read more | | | We encourage you to forward and share this content – and to sign up if you haven't yet.
| | | UN News has plenty of interesting podcasts and thought-provoking interviews with top UN officials and experts for you. They are available on our Audio Hub and on SoundCloud. Below are just a couple of examples. | | Azerbaijan all set to host world's top climate change forum With just days to go until world leaders, scientists, and climate action advocates convene for COP29 in Baku, the host country Azerbaijan is fully prepared to welcome the key annual summit - despite having only ten months to prepare. That's according to UN Resident Coordinator Vladanka Andreeva who told UN News about the preparations and objectives for the COP. Listen here | | | Focus on the Future: A world in dangerous waters In the Pact for the Future UN Member States pledged to do more to fight the climate crisis, a subject that has dominated several sessions at UN Headquarters this week. In this episode of Focus on the Future, Conor Lennon and Sachin Gaur discuss some of the big climate-related events, including a General Assembly meeting on sea level rise. Listen here | | | | Featured Video:
Greentech entrepreneur promotes clean energy solutions in Iraq | | "I truly believe that climate change is as big a threat as is Isis/Daesh. So these kind of battles need to happen in parallel", says Basima Abdulrahman, founder and CEO of KESK, the first Iraqi greentech company which synergizes green power and cloud computing technologies to build alternative energy projects in the country. Learn about the mission Ms. Abdulrahman and her team pursue despite hardships. | | Featured from UN agencies and partners | | As the climate crisis hits every economy harder each year, we need to redouble our focus on climate solutions. Solutions that will help build a safer, healthier, more prosperous world for us all, starting now. Watch UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell explain what COP29 is about. | | | Mark your calendars:
Upcoming climate conferences | | | | | | | Climate Dictionary - Nature Edition | | Climate change is the defining issue of our times. Every day, more and more people are getting involved in climate action. But if you are new to the discussion, it can be quite challenging to grasp some specific terms and concepts at once. That's why the UN Development Programme (UNDP) Climate Promise have put together the Climate Dictionary. This year they have added this new Nature Edition. | | |
Fight Mis- and Disinformation
| |  | | Climate change is a hot topic – with myths and falsehoods circulating widely. Find some essential facts in this Myth Busters section. Share them, use them and talk about them to help counter mis- and disinformation and build support for urgent action.
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