6th Report from UN Climate Change Conference COP29

11^th– 22^nd Nov. 2024 Baku, Azerbaijan

COP29 has closed its gates, and the outcome has not been received well by the world community. The rich and poor countries concluded a trillion-dollar deal on the climate crisis in the early hours of Sunday morning after marathon talks and days of bitter dispute. By 2035, the developing world will receive at least $1.3tn (£1tn) a year in funds to help them shift to a low-carbon economy and cope with the impacts of extreme weather. But only $300bn of that will come in the form they need most—grants and low-interest loans from the developed world. The rest will have to come from private investors and a range of potential new sources of money, such as possible levies on fossil fuels and frequent flyers, which have yet to be agreed upon.
Many developing countries and most campaigners are leaving this Conference with a bitter taste. One delegate said: “Rich countries spent 150 years polluting the world’s atmospheric space, then 33 years loitering on climate action, and spend years on negotiating a financial settlement. Now, with the help of oil-friendly countries and the threat of nations in climate denial, they force developing countries to accept a deal that not only doesn’t represent any actual new money but also may increase their debt.”
Also for the Brahma Kumaris delegation the time has come to leave Baku. We have organised and participated in over 75 interviews, side events, roundtables, panel discussions and received two awards. The green team shared a message of peace and hope in an atmosphere of growing despair and anger.