Climate summit faces trillion-dollar showdown as Cop29 opens in Baku

Amanda Morrow

11 November 2024 at 1:48 am·1-min read

This year’s Cop marks the third consecutive summit held in an authoritarian state, following Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.

Governments are gathering in Azerbaijan on Monday for talks on the climate that will test wealthy nations' commitment to funding poorer ones bearing the brunt of global warming. But concerns over Baku's human rights record and deep ties to fossil fuels have cast a heavy shadow over the UN’s crucial "finance Cop".

Cop29 is taking place as 2024 is expected to be declared the hottest year ever recorded.

The two-week event faces major challenges: Azerbaijan has announced plans to expand gas production, local activists have been jailed in a pre-summit crackdown, and nations remain sharply divided over who should pay the trillions needed to tackle climate impacts.

What's undisputed, however, is that emissions are not being cut fast enough. United Nations estimates show the planet is on track for a catastrophic temperature rise of between 2.6C and 3.1C by 2100 – far above the safer 1.5C limit set in Paris in 2015.

The need for action is amplified by a looming February 2025 deadline for countries to update their Nationally Determined Contributions, or emissions reduction targets, under the Paris Agreement.

Without stronger commitments, the world faces rising sea levels, devastating heatwaves and worsening food insecurity.

Finance goal

Sitting at the top of the agenda is climate finance. The world must agree a new funding goal to replace the previous $100 billion annual target, which wealthy nations only met in 2022 – two years late.

The Daily Beast
Trump Sends Warning Shot to Putin as He Hails That ‘Assad is Gone’
With the regime of his Syrian ally Bashar al-Assad toppled in Damascus, Russian leader Vladimir Putin received a public warning from President-elect Donald Trump, who urged him to agree to a ceasefire with Ukraine before the conflict there becomes “far worse.” “Assad is gone,” Trump wrote, in an early Sunday morning post on Truth Social. “He has fled his country. His protector, Russia, Russia, Russia, led by Vladimir Putin, was not interested in protecting him any longer. There was no reason for
HuffPost
Trump Leveled This Condescending Remark At A Female Journalist — And Experts Have Thoughts
The president-elect made the startling remark to veteran journalist Kristen Welker during a wide-ranging sit-down interview on "Meet the Press."
CNN
Syrian rebel leader’s victory speech holds a message for Iran – and for Trump and Israel too
Abu Mohammad al-Jolani’s road to Damascus has been long. He has talked openly about his change along the way. From young al Qaeda fighter two decades ago, to rebel commander espousing sectarian tolerance.
The Telegraph
Dinner with Putin is out – but Assad will not lack for luxury in Moscow exile
There will not be any cosy dinners at the Kremlin, but Bashar al-Assad may still be quaffing champagne and slurping caviar in his new life of luxury in exile in Russia.
Associated Press
Trump calls for immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and says a US withdrawal from NATO is possible
Donald Trump on Sunday pushed Russian leader Vladimir Putin to act to reach an immediate ceasefire with Ukraine, describing it as part of his active efforts as president-elect to end the war despite being weeks from taking office. “Zelenskyy and Ukraine would like to make a deal and stop the madness," Trump wrote on social media, referring to Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In a television interview that aired Sunday, Trump also said he would be open to reducing military aid to Ukraine and pulling the United States out of NATO.
HuffPost
Adam Kinzinger Has Defiant 3-Word Response To Donald Trump’s Jail Threat
The former Republican congressman issued a brutal summary of the president-elect’s comments about the House Jan. 6 committee.
The Telegraph
Iran’s armed forces ‘at war with themselves’ over fall of Assad
A furious blame game is unfolding among Iran’s armed forces over the fall of Bashar al-Assad, The Telegraph has learned.
HuffPost
'So F**king Tacky': Donald Trump Slammed Over 'Gross' Bid To Cash In On Jill Biden Photo
Critics ripped the president-elect over a post on his Truth Social platform.
The Telegraph
What now for Asma al-Assad – the former British public schoolgirl turned international pariah
What must Asma al-Assad be thinking right now? Bright, beautiful and British-born, she could be living an affluent life in England, with friends, family and a fine career, had she not sold her soul to the devil. As it is, she is an international pariah, the wife of a monster responsible for more than half a million deaths, and she faces – along with her three children – the very real prospect of spending the rest of her days in joyless exile in Vladimir Putin’s Russia.
The Hill
Opinion - Russia’s authoritarianism and imperialism block a just peace in Ukraine
The Russo-Ukrainian war cannot end until all sides want a stable and just peace, and the greatest obstacle to such an outcome is the Russian regime, which is deeply authoritarian and hostile to Ukraine.
HuffPost UK
Keir Starmer Warned Labour's Mandate For Change Is Based On A 'Time Bomb'
And that's not because of a threat from the right.
The Daily Beast
Liz Cheney Claps Back at Trump’s Jail Threat
Former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney has clapped back at President-elect Donald Trump after he threatened to imprison her and other members on the congressional committee that investigated the January 6, 2021, Capitol riots. In an interview on NBC’s Meet The Press that aired Sunday morning, Trump claimed that Cheney, along with a “committee of political thugs” deleted all the evidence from their investigation. “Cheney did something that’s inexcusable, along with Thompson and the people on the un-selec
Reuters
Demand for UK workers crashes in budget aftermath, REC survey shows
(Reuters) -Demand for workers in Britain collapsed last month after the new Labour government's first budget, a survey published on Monday showed, adding to other signs of the impact of the tax increases on employers. The Recruitment and Employment Confederation trade body and accountants KPMG said their index of demand for staff slid to 43.9, the lowest reading since August 2020, from October's 46.1. "It should be a surprise to no-one that firms took the time to re-assess their hiring needs in November after a tough budget for employers," REC Chief Executive Neil Carberry said.
The Telegraph
Thousands of police officers face losing their job, Yvette Cooper warned
Police chiefs have warned Yvette Cooper that thousands of officers’ jobs will have to be cut because of a funding shortfall.
Rolling Stone
Trump Preps ‘Bloodbath’ on Federal Death Row As Advocates Beg Biden for Mercy
Biden didn’t end the federal death penalty. Advocates hope he’ll still commute the sentences of those on federal death row, before Trump takes over
The Telegraph
Sometimes we should just let British heritage go, says major Labour donor
British heritage is sometimes “just history on life support” and should be allowed to die, one of Labour’s biggest donors has said.
The Independent
Team Trump discord over Kemi Badenoch’s meeting with JD Vance
Newly elected Tory leader Kemi Badenoch hopes to have found a new political ally in vice president elect J. D. Vance after the two met – but not everyone in Team Trump is happy
BuzzFeed
16 People Who Voted For Donald Trump Are Sharing Exactly Why They're Already Questioning Their Decision
"I could care less about politics; that crap is for the 1% type of people who are rich."
Reuters
Israel says it will destroy Syria's heavy strategic weaponry
JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Israel will step up airstrikes on Syrian stores of advanced weaponry, Israeli officials said on Monday, and keep a "limited" troop presence on the ground, hoping to head off any threat that could emerge in the fallout of president Bashar al-Assad's overthrow. Israel has watched the upheaval in Syria with a mixture of hope and concern as it weighs the consequences of one of the most significant strategic shifts in the Middle East in years. "We are taking all the actions necessary to try to ensure our security with regard to the new situation in Syria," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told reporters in a late-night press conference at his office without going into detail.
Sky News
Assad fall 'not surprising' as Russia and Iran decided to throw 'Syria under the bus'
The Syrian government has collapsed, falling to a rebel offensive that seized control of the capital Damascus and sent crowds into the streets to celebrate. What unfolded was "not that surprising", according to Sky's defence analyst Professor Michael Clarke. From a military point of view it is what tends to happen, he said, citing similar scenarios in the Libyan civil war in 2011, and in Iraq in 2014 - when Islamic State fighters "were at the gates of Baghdad within weeks".

Finance goal

Latest stories