COP29: Can We Fund a Sustainable Future?
The upcoming UN climate conference, opens next Monday in Baku, Azerbaijan, and runs through 22 November. Dubbed the "Finance COP," the event will prioritize the adoption of a new climate finance target. Secretary-General António Guterres has reminded that developing countries urgently need support to accelerate the transition to clean energy and deal with the violent weather they are already facing. He added, "COP 29 must agree to a new finance goal that unlocks the trillions of dollars they need. The price of climate inaction is too high." In addition to finance, COP29, shorthand for the 29th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), will be a crucial platform for countries to unveil updated national climate action plans - known as Nationally Determined Contributions, or NDCs - under the Paris Agreement. A country's NDC outlines how it plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to help meet the global goal of limiting temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius and adapt to the impacts of climate change. Watch this explainer video by UNFCCC on what NDCs include and what is involved in their preparation and submission.
The next round of NDCs – "NDCs 3.0" – are due in early 2025. Visit the UNFCCC NDC registry to see which countries have submitted their national climate plans and when. | | | Ahead of COP29, several UN agencies have launched a series of flagship reports highlighting urgent calls for climate action. The latest, UNEP's Emissions Gap Report, launched on 7 November, shows the world on course towards a catastrophic rise of 2.6-3.1°C this century without immediate and major cuts to greenhouse gas emissions.
UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell said that COP29 must be a stand-and-deliver moment for the world. On the recent release of the 2024 Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) , he said "Governments must come to Baku ready to convert the pledges in the UAE Consensus at COP28 – tripling renewables, the global goal on adaptation, transitioning away from all fossil fuels – into real-world, real-economy results, protecting people and their livelihoods everywhere." The UN News teams in Baku and in New York will navigate you through the world's largest climate conference. We will offer you in-depth coverage of COP29 through news articles, interviews, videos and more. Stay tuned to our COP29 Special Coverage page for comprehensive analysis and insights. | | | Featured story:
COP29: Deadly weather events show cost of climate inaction | | The UN is calling for urgent collective action, led by the G20 group of developed economies and the biggest emitters, to deliver the greenhouse gas emissions cuts needed to limit global warming. What will happen over the two weeks at COP29? As ever, there will be a packed schedule of negotiations, speeches, press conferences, events and panel discussions at the conference site, divided into a Green Zone – which is overseen by the COP29 Presidency and open to the general public – and a Blue Zone managed by the UN.
This is where the nitty-gritty of the negotiations will take place, as the representatives of the nations of the world try to thrash out a deal by the end of the event. An agreement is usually reached, but not without drama, with last minute disagreements pushing the talks beyond their official deadline. | | The 1.5°C Climate Goal:
Why Global Unity Matters Selwin Hart, Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Climate Action and Just Transition, highlights the urgent need for action ahead of COP29. Watch the full video here. | | |
What's up with climate:
UN News stories
| | COP16: Landmark biodiversity agreements adopted The world's largest biodiversity summit, known as COP16, concluded on November 1, 2024 in Colombia, with several landmark decisions, including first ever agreements on nature's genetic data and on recognizing people of Africa descent and Indigenous Peoples as key stewards in conservation efforts. Read more | | | UN expert calls for action as Marshall Islands faces dual displacement crisis The appeal from the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons, comes as the Pacific nation grapples with generational displacement and the threat posed by rising sea levels and unprecedented global heating. The Marshall Islands, a frontline nation in the fight to slow global warming, faces unique challenges. Read more | | | Deadly floods in Spain highlight need to cut greenhouse gas emissions The record-breaking rainfall and deadly flash floods that hit Spain on 29/30 October underscore why saving lives as climate change turbocharges extreme weather must be a top priority, the World Meteorological Office (WMO) said.
Read more | | | Green energy shift must also bring prosperity and equality: UN deputy chief Ms. Mohammed briefed Member States on the work of the Secretary-General's Panel on Critical Energy Transition Minerals and urged them to share feedback. The Panel recently issued a report which showed that many of today's rapidly growing clean energy technologies depend on critical energy transition minerals such as copper, lithium, nickel, cobalt and rare earth elements. Read more | | | We encourage you to forward and share this content – and to sign up if you haven't yet.
| | | 'I Am on Your Side', Secretary-General Tells Youth Climate Change Conference, Stressing 'Let's Push Leaders to Deliver' on Climate Action, Justice
Click here for his full message! | | | |
Flagship Reports from the UN
| | In the lead-up to COP29, various UN agencies like UNEP, UNFCCC, and WMO have released key reports which emphasize the need for immediate and significant climate action, warning that current policies are insufficient to meet climate targets and could lead to a substantial temperature increase if not addressed urgently; these reports are considered "flagship reports" due to their prominent role in informing global climate discussions. Check out the reports below. | |  | Adapt or perish: UN calls for urgent action at COP29 climate summit In its Adaptation Gap Report 2024: Come Hell and High Water, UNEP warned that vulnerable communities are already bearing the brunt of climate change impacts through extreme weather and disasters. Read here. |  | Record heat persists as WMO calls for urgent services and investment boost The world is experiencing unprecedented warming with 2024 poised to become the hottest year on record, surpassing the previous record in 2023, according to new data released by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). Read here. | |  | Over 2 billion in cities will be exposed to 0.5ºC rise by 2040 More than two billion people currently living in cities could be exposed to an additional temperature increase of at least 0.5 degrees Celsius by 2040, UN-Habitat's World Cities Report 2024 finds. Read here. |  | UN official urges more ambitious, credible climate action plans Proposed actions by countries to mitigate the worsening impacts of climate change "fall miles short of what is needed," according to UNFCCC's 2024 Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) Synthesis Report.
Read here. | |  | 'Catastrophic' hunger persists in multiple countries, warn food agencies In all, 22 countries are designated "hunger hotspots"; they are expected to see "increase in magnitude and severity" of hunger levels because of conflict, economic crisis and climate shocks Рnot least from the "looming" La Ni̱a weather phenomenon, whose impact on climates in already vulnerable regions is expected from now until March 2025. Read more |  | Carbon markets could boost climate action in least developed countries While carbon markets have played a limited role in boosting sustainable development for the world's least developed economies, a new report from UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) shows that stronger domestic laws, regulations, and monitoring could pay big dividends. Read more | | | Featured Video:
Maggie Dewane Imagines a Cool Tomorrow | The Future Thanks You | | Explore Antarctica's future through the eyes of writer and filmmaker Maggie Dewane. What does coexistence look like in 2045? Create your own vision at thefuturethanksyou.com and see how our present actions can make it real. The Future Thanks You - a campaign from the Verified initiative by the United Nations and Purpose - aims to build support for a future powered by renewable energy. | | Featured from UN agencies and partners | | Riding towards a greener future Lầu Minh TrÃ, a cab-share driver for Be in Ho Chi Minh City, used to spend a significant part of his earnings on gasoline. Each day, he would fill his tank, costing around 80,000 Vietnamese Dong (VND), roughly US$3.2. The noise and emissions from his gasoline-powered motorbike were part of his everyday routine. But things changed when Minh Trà switched to an electric vehicle (EV). Read the full story here. |  | How a novel type of insurance is helping Uganda's banana farmers avoid catastrophe
A pilot project allows farmers use mobile phones to submit images of damaged crops to their insurers, speeding up the claims process. Nearly 50% of the farmers involved in the insurance project are women.
Read the full story here.
|  | | 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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