What must we see at COP29, Baku, Azerbaijan? 

We are days away from one of the most important events of the international calendar – the COP Climate Summit. Countries can take actions independently but it is only by setting goals and implementing actions together and agreeing to be accountable for those actions, that we can hope to drive down carbon emissions across the globe. 

An updated scientific report from the United Nations tells us that cuts in carbon emissions of 42% by 2030 and 57% by 2035 are needed to get on track for staying below 1.5°C of global warming. The longer we delay, the tougher the challenge. Therefore our expectations from this month’s COP29 meeting in Baku, Azerbaijan, are for plans not promises. Specifically we want the following:- 

1. To address the greatest challenge of our generation we need an unprecedented level of investment. Developing countries must be able to quadruple current spending on transition in order to reach targets by 2030. This requires external finance and hence the proposed New Collective Quantified Goal for climate finance must have ambition behind it. It must raise $trillions not $billions.  It must come on track soon and therefore we need COP29 to resolve disagreements over what forms this funding should take and who pays. 

2. We need a lot more funding to the Loss and Damage Fund to help communities recover from climate disasters such as the recent Helene and Milton hurricanes. Substantial pledges by states would demonstrate confidence in this new fund. Loss and damage must also get funding from new sources including from the New Collective Quantified Goal for climate finance. 

3. Nations must make pledges on carbon targets for 2035 from February 2025 onwards (in advance of COP30 in Brazil next year). The UK says that it will make its pledge early at this COP summit. It must be a pledge of at least an 81% reduction in CO2 emissions as advised by the Committee on Climate Change. But crucially we will also be looking for actions from the UK government over the next year to demonstrate that it will reverse the slow progress on the current 2030 pledge. 

4. Our government must lead at home and at COP29. Ed Miliband, Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero is a veteran of the COP summit process and could be an effective mediator when the going gets tough. Nations must agree the phase out of oil and gas. The UK’s influence in this and other important areas will be keenly watched. 

We will be reporting on progress at COP29 over the two weeks of negotiations. JPIT will bring you the stories and policy demands coming out of nations that are at the frontline of climate disaster. We pray for good news for the planet from COP29. Once the summit has concluded we will be among Christian communities across the globe who demand that their governments to put words into action. 

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