UN Climate Change Conference 2024: COP29 in Baku at a glance
Azerbaijan is hosting the next UN Climate Change Conference. akzente answers the key questions about COP29.
When and where will the UN Climate Change Conference 2024 take place?
The next UN Climate Change Conference is being held from 11 to 22 November, in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. As was the case with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) last year, holding the event in Azerbaijan means that an authoritarian, oil-producing state is hosting this year’s conference. That said, the South Caucasus country not only has far fewer financial resources than the UAE, it has also less experience of international conferences. The location therefore drew criticism in the run-up to the event. This was further exacerbated by the fact that schools will be closed during the conference and part of central Baku will be blocked off. Transparency and critical feedback, which are usually welcome at climate change conferences, will be unlikely here. All these factors combined are dampening expectations for the outcomes of the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29). In Germany, there are hopes that greater impetus will be achieved again at COP30 which, symbolically, is taking place on the edge of the Amazon forest in the Brazilian city of Belém.
Why was Azerbaijan chosen as the host country for COP29?
The COP venue rotates among five regional groups in the United Nations: Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, Western Europe and Others (including North America and Australia) and Eastern Europe. This time it was the turn of Eastern Europe. Bulgaria had also expressed interest in hosting COP29. However, this was rejected by Russia because Bulgaria is a member of the European Union. Azerbaijan was therefore the only consensus option.
is the expected global temperature increase at the end of the century, if the world keeps up its current pace of activity
Why is there talk of it being a ‘finance COP’?
The subject of climate finance will be high on the agenda in Baku. Up to now, an arrangement has been in place for richer states to mobilise USD 100 billion per year for developing countries. This target was achieved last year for the first time. However, the arrangement is coming to an end in 2025. Negotiations will therefore take place in Baku on a new finance target, a ‘New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG)’, which is to apply from 2025 onwards. Discussions around the NCQG will be an important part of the negotiations in Azerbaijan.
Is input expected from the host country?
Azerbaijan has announced a range of initiatives, including a fund to which oil-producing countries are primarily to contribute. The aim is for the fund to provide money to the developing countries hit hardest by climate change. It is not yet clear how the fund will work, how it will differ from existing funds or whether many countries will support it. It also remains to be seen whether other initiatives, for instance on agriculture and green energy, will bear political fruit. This depends in large part on the countries and (UN) organisations that support these initiatives.
What results were achieved at COP28 in Dubai?
Experts did not have high expectations for COP28 in Dubai leading up to the event. The host country had faced considerable criticism as an oil state. In fact, however, quite a lot was achieved: not only was the 1.5-degree target confirmed, the end of the fossil fuel era was signalled for the first time, too. ‘Transitioning away from fossil fuels’ was how the COP28 final declaration was worded, and this is generally interpreted as the beginning of the end for all fossil fuels. The COP representatives also decided to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030, and to double energy efficiency. The Loss and Damage Fund was made operational thanks to various funding pledges in Dubai, including from Germany. The fund aims to provide financial support to developing countries in the event of damage caused by major droughts or floods, for example.
