Wia dis foto come from, Reuters
World leaders don begin one big annual UN climate meeting with hope to check rising global temperatures, wey dey make deadly events like di recent floods in Spain far worse.
A key aim for dis year meeting for Azerbaijan na to agree on how to get more cash to poorer countries to help dem check dia planet-warming gases and to help dem cope with growing impacts of climate change.
But di US election victory of Donald Trump – wey be known climate sceptic – as well as wars and cost of living crises dey prove to be a distraction, and some important leaders no dey attend dis year.
Hosts Azerbaijan also dey under serious scrutiny over dia human rights record, as well as accusations say dem dey use di meeting to line up fossil fuel deals.
Wia dis foto come from, Getty Images
Wetin be COP29 and wia e dey hold?
COP29 na di world most important meeting on climate change wey di UN dey lead. Dis year event, wey be di 29th gathering, dey run from 11-22 November, for Baku, di capital of Azerbaijan, a central Asian kontri wey dey between Russia and Iran.
Wetin COP stand for?
COP stand for “Conference of the Parties”, and for dis case, di parties na di countries wey don ratify a treaty called di UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change).
Dem sign dat document for 1992, by almost 200 countries. Di COP na di decision-making body of dat agreement and representatives of dis countries dey meet evri year to negotiate di best approach to tackle di root causes of climate change.
Who dey go COP29?
Presidents and prime ministers na im normally dey attend dis conferences at di start to solidify am. But dis year, leaders of some of di biggest economies and biggest carbon emitters dey notably absent. US President Joe Biden, China leader Xi Jinping and France President Emmanuel Macron dey absent, as well as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Germany Olaf Schulz and India Narendra Modi.
Dem dey stay away for different reasons, but e no go help di conference get strong start. Leaders wey no attend go also get lots of oda issues on dia minds, including two expensive and difficult wars for di Middle East and for Ukraine, and global financial problems.
“No world leader dey come with climate change for di number one spot for dia inbox,” na so Prof. Thomas Hale for Oxford university explain.
E also get an underlying feeling say Azerbaijan no get di diplomatic or financial clout to secure a significant agreement for Baku.
Many leaders get di view say progress dey more likely for next year COP30 wey go hold for Brazil.
Wetin dem go discuss for COP29?
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One key question dis year na money.
Under di Paris agreement wey dem sign for 2015, world leaders bin pledge to try to prevent global temperatures rising by more dan 1.5C. For dat to happen, countries need to increase dia efforts to cut warming gases.
As part of di agreement, countries bin commit to develop a new cash target for developing nations by 2025. Dis money go dey used to help emerging economies cut dia carbon and adapt to di worst impacts of rising temperatures.
Getting agreement on a new finance target na critical step to build trust between rich and poor nations as, so far, di track record no dey great.
African countries and small island states wan see climate finance in total reach over a $1tn a year by 2030.
Up till now. countries like China and di Gulf States dey classified as developing economies and dem dey excluded from contributing.
According to di EU and oda wealthy countries, dat must change if di overall amount of cash go dey increased.
Governments plan to tackle climate change for dia own countries fit also be a tricky issue. Dem must update dia action plans every five years (di next deadline na February.)
Some countries go release dia strategies for dis COP, but if dem dey weak and look unlikely to stop global warming rising beyond 1.5C, den e fit cause problems with countries wey dey di front lines of climate change.
Also, di fossil fuel agreements wey dem pass for di last climate talks still dey stand? E get signs for di G20 talks dis year say some countries bin wan roll back on promises to move away from burning oil, coal and gas.
You no need to look far to see trouble as e dey come. Major UN talks on protecting nature collapse two weeks ago for Colombia wen nations no fit agree on key goals.
Why e be say COP29 for Azerbaijan dey controversial?
Azerbaijan get big plans to expand gas production, by up to a third, over di next decade. Some observers worry say a kontri with dat goal dey in charge of a conference wey aim to transition away from fossil fuels.
Dis fuels na one of di main causes of climate change becos dem dey release planet-warming greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide wen dem burn dem for energy.
Also concerns as reported by di BBC, dey say Azerbaijani officials dey use di climate conference to boost investment for di kontri national oil and gas company.
Deep reservations also dey about holding dis key event for a kontri with a poor human rights record, wia political opposition no dey tolerated.
How Donald Trump election dey impact COP29?
Wia dis foto come from, Getty Images
Di US president-elect na known climate doubter wey don call efforts to boost green energy a “scam” and im victory dey seen by climate experts as a major setback.
Im no go actually dey for COP29, and President Biden team go push for progress, but dem know say anytin dem agree to no go dey binding on di new administration.
With Trump election, di US go likely withdraw from di Paris Climate Agreement and from providing finance.
However e also dey possible say Trump re-election fit drive a new sense of unity, even to build a coalition wey fit agree to a major step on money for poorer countries.
Experts argue say di climate crisis, and collective response to am go outlast a second Trump term.
Trump and Paris Agreement
E take Donald Trump more dan three years to comot United States from di 2015 Paris Agreement.
But three months later, on im first day in office, Biden reverse dat decision for February 2021.
So Trump go do di same again?
On Friday, di New York Times report say di president-elect transition team don already prepare executive orders and proclamations to withdraw from di Paris climate agreement again. E also report on shrinking di size of some national monuments to allow more drilling and mining.
Trump also dey expected to end di pause on permitting new liquefied natural gas exports to big markets for Asia and Europe and revoke a waiver wey allow California and oda states to get tighter pollution standards, according to di report.
Wetin dey go on with di world climate dis year?
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Di warning alarms from di climate no fit dey more stronger dis year.
Now e dey “virtually certain” say 2024 – a year wey see serious heatwaves and deadly storms – go be di world warmest on record, according to projections by di European climate service.
And we don see di impacts of warmer oceans with very powerful hurricanes Helene and Milton slamming into di US for di summer. Di devastating flooding wey kill at least 200 pipo for Spain in October also dey gingered by higher sea temperatures for di Mediterranean.
“Climate change na cumulative problem. Dat wan mean say with every year of delay, e get an additional warming wey we dey commit our planet to. Now na di time wey we need to take action,” Prof Joeri Rogelj explain for Imperial College London.
How dis talks fit impact me?
For di short-term, agreements for COP fit change how nations build dia economies, like pushing di development of green power. Dat wan fit affect wia we get our energy from and how much we pay for am in our bills.
E fit also commit countries to pay large sums of money into funds for poorer countries. For di UK, dis currently dey come from aid budgets wey dey paid for by tax-payers, although private financial institutions dey expected to contribute significantly.
In di long-term, di talks aim to build a safer, cleaner world for everybody and prevent di worst of climate change.