COP 29 gets underway in Baku

KATHMANDU: The 29th Conference of the Parties (COP 29) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) kicked off in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Monday.

Addressing the opening session, newly-elected COP 29 President, Mukhtar Babayev, said COP 29 is a moment of truth for the Paris Agreement which, in 2015, set a goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius since pre-industrial times. “We are on a road to ruin. But these are not future problems. Climate change is already here,” Babayev said. “Whether you see them or not, people are suffering in the shadows. They are dying in the dark and they need more than compassion, more than prayers and paperwork. They are crying out for leadership and action. COP 29 is the unmissable moment to chart a new path forward for everyone.”

He added that COP 29 will test “our commitment to the multilateral climate system. We must now demonstrate that we are prepared to meet the goals we have set ourselves”.

Outgoing President Sultan Al Jaber said cooperation and unity will help in mitigating climate-related issues. “Let me leave you with some final words of advice: Let positivity prevail and let it power the process. Let actions speak louder than words. Let results outlast the rhetoric,” he added.

UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell said COP 29 must agree on a new global climate finance goal. “If at least two-thirds of the world’s nations cannot afford to cut emissions quickly, then every nation pays a brutal price.  If nations can’t build resilience into supply chains, the entire global economy will be brought to its knees. No country is immune,” Steill said. “So, let’s dispense with the 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.”

President Ram Chandra Paudel is leading the Nepali delegation to COP 29.  At the COP meetings, President Poudel is expected to present Nepal’s position on protecting the Himalayas and the planet. Poudel will also present examples of the increasing risks caused by the impacts of climate change.