Big names missing at COP29 in Baku

Peter 13th Nov, 2024 Extractives Agencies
Big names missing at COP29 in Baku

World leaders pose for a group photo at the official opening of the COP29 Summit in Baku on Tuesday.


Several influential world leaders have opted not to attend an action summit this week at the center of climate talks in Azerbaijan. High on the agenda is a deal to boost climate funding for developing countries.

The two-day World Leaders Action Summit at COP29 got under way on Tuesday in Baku, Azerbaijan, with around 100 leaders taking part, although there are some noticeable absentees.

The top priority at this year's summit is expected to be landing a deal to boost funding for climate action in developing countries. Some are pushing for the current pledge of $100 billion (€93 billion) a year to be raised by ten times that amount at COP29 to cover the future cost of shifting to clean energy and adapting to climate shocks.

  • Without adequate finance, developing nations have warned that they will struggle to offer ambitious updates to their climate goals, which countries are required to submit by early next year.

The leaders of the 13 biggest emitters of carbon — countries responsible for more than 70% of 2023's heat-trapping gases — will not appear at this year's gathering.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, US President Joe Biden, and also India's Narendra Modi and France's Emmanuel Macron are among G20 leaders skipping the event.

  • "It's symptomatic of the lack of political will to act. There's no sense of urgency," climate scientist Bill Hare told the Associated Press.

Nevertheless, Azerbaijan's President and COP2 host Ilham Aliyev, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan are among the nearly 50 leaders set to speak on Tuesday.

COP29 lead negotiator, Azerbaijan's deputy Foreign Minister, Yalchin Rafiyev, emphasized at a press conference on Tuesday that "success doesn't depend on one country alone."

"Unless all countries can slash emissions deeply, every country and household will be hammered harder than they currently are. We will be living in a nightmare," he said.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned that time was running out in the fight against climate change. "We are in the final countdown to limit the global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius," Guterres said. "And time is not on our side," he added.

  • The Paris Agreement, a legally binding climate treaty signed by 196 countries after COP21 in 2015, calls for limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees compared to pre-industrial levels. However, this goal looks increasingly unlikely to be met. This year the limit is expected to be exceeded for the first time, while the target is a multi-year average.
  • Guterres described 2024 as "a masterclass in climate destruction." The UN chief also said that nations needed to reach an agreement that does not leave poorer countries "empty-handed" in their fight against climate change. "Developing countries must not leave Baku empty-handed. A deal is a must," Guterres said.

In an address on Tuesday, Azerbaijan President Aliyev repeated a controversial quote that oil, gas and other natural resources are a "gift of the God" and said nations should not be judged by their natural resources and how they use them.

"Quote me that I said that this is a gift of the God, and I want to repeat it today here at this audience," he told delegates.

Azerbaijan has seven billion barrels of oil reserves and was one of the first places in the world to start commercial oil production.

Similar Posts You May Like 

  • Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council Chairman Lauds Uganda's efforts to increase trade and investment within member states

    Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council Chairman Lauds Uganda's effor..

    The Chairman of the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council, Lord Jonathan Peter Marland has lauded the government of Uganda's effort to support trade and investment through collaboration with private sector associations such as the Uganda National Chamber of Commerce (UNCCI) and the Private ..

  • UKETA PARTNERS WITH IBANDA UNIVERSITY TO BOOST ONLINE LEARNING

    UKETA PARTNERS WITH IBANDA UNIVERSITY TO BOOST ONLINE LEARNING..

    UKETA, an online Learning platform has partnered with Ibanda University to enhance an alliance aimed at extending the skylines of soft skills education to both students and lecturers within the University. According to Daudi Bitature, Sales Operational Analyst, UKETA Learning platform, the aim of t..

  • NCBA Bank Powers Singleton Golf Challenge Semi Final

    NCBA Bank Powers Singleton Golf Challenge Semi Final..

    The bank injected Shs.60 million in the event in which amateur golfers from Uganda and Rwanda took part..

  • Will Wagagai open gold wealth kitty to all citizens?

    Will Wagagai open gold wealth kitty to all citizens?..

    Uganda is supposedly on the brink of significant economic transformation with the imminent commencement of production at Wagagai gold mining and refining facility in Alupe, Busia District. ..

  • Mukene, fuel top April inflation drivers

    Mukene, fuel top April inflation drivers..

    The rising prices of fish and fuel were the main drivers of annual inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index in April, according to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS)...

  • Oil refinery deal awaiting FID, says Minister

    Oil refinery deal awaiting FID, says Minister..

    Ugandans seeking employment in the oil refinery in the Albertine Graben need to be patient as the negotiations go on, Hon. Okasaai Opolot, the State Minister for Energy, has said. ..

  • Uganda fast-tracking oil refinery deal - Nankabirwa

    Uganda fast-tracking oil refinery deal - Nankabirwa..

    The Ugandan government is accelerating negotiations with Alpha MBM Investments of the United Arab Emirates to finalize a landmark deal to build a 60,000 barrels-per-day oil refinery in western Uganda, seen as a crucial step in Uganda’s ambitions to become Africa’s newest oil producer...

  • Oil pipeline: Court blocks land owners

    Oil pipeline: Court blocks land owners ..

    The Masaka Senior Resident Judge Lawrence Tweyanze has ruled that the government can proceed with the construction of East African Oil Pipeline (EACOP) before the affected landowners are compensated for their land...

  • Namibia to host Afreximbank Trade Finance event

    Namibia to host Afreximbank Trade Finance event..

    The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), a Pan-African multilateral trade finance institution that aims to promote and finance trade within Africa and between Africa and the rest of the world, is set to host its 2024 Trade Finance Seminar and Factoring Workshop in Windhoek, Namibia, from 5 - 8 ..

  • National Mining Company Board inaugurated

    National Mining Company Board inaugurated..

    The Government has unveiled the Board of Directors for the National Mining Company (NMC) as part of the efforts to enhance its participation in the mining sector. ..

Most Recent