With the presence of few world leaders, the 29th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) officially opened this Monday (11), in Baku, Azerbaijan.
At the ceremony, the country’s Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources, Mukhtar Babayev, assumed the presidency of COP29, after the symbolic gesture in which he received the gavel to open the climate negotiations, from the hands of Sultan Al Jaber, who presided over the previous conference in the United Arab Emirates, in 2023.
Babayev began the negotiations with an appeal for countries to increase their ambitions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and also to open negotiations on financing to enable actions to combat climate change.
“By mobilizing climate finance, we enable lofty ambitions. And when, together, we show signs of greater ambition, we create confidence to unlock greater financial commitments”, he reinforced.
He recalled that the current policies adopted by countries are already leading the planet to 3 degrees of warming and that actions to slow down this catastrophic scenario need to occur now. “Climate change is already here, from flooded homes in Spain to wildfires in Australia, from rising oceans in the Pacific to arid plains in East Africa. Whether we see them or not, people are suffering in the shadows. They are dying in the darkness. And they need more than compassion, more than prayers and bureaucracy. They are begging for leadership and action”, he warned.
Technology
The Azerbaijani minister recalled that it is still necessary to accelerate work to develop and transfer technology, so that they are available to everyone, especially those most affected who live in less developed countries.
“We need to deliver the technology implementation program here in Baku. Within the COP29 action agenda, we have opportunities for governments, the private sector, multilateral development banks and everyone to do their part”, he defended.
The president of COP29 also spoke about the energy transition and other actions to mitigate greenhouse gases, in addition to highlighting the importance of countries delivering national adaptation plans, which he considered critical. “They guide how we share best practice transfer technology and support each other. We need them by 2025 so that we can progress by 2030,” he said.
Babayev also highlighted that successes and failures in actions to combat climate problems will be collective, and no country is capable of solving the problem of global warming alone. He also recalled that all the world’s populations watch and wait for climate action.
“They are expecting us to show leadership and they cannot afford the cost of delay. So let’s raise ambition and enable action. Let’s move forward in solidarity for a green world. And let’s work”, he concluded.
Delegations
In the audience of the blue zone plenary, where the official program of the event takes place, many delegations of negotiators were present, but the main world leaders will either not participate or are still on their way to Baku, such as vice-president Geraldo Alckmin, who will participate in this Tuesday (12) of the COP29 High-Level Meeting.
This Tuesday will also be the opening of country pavilions, civil society organizations, intergovernmental and academic institutions. Still under construction, the green zone, where everyone can participate, has already had a busy day.
Pavilions in countries such as Germany, Brazil and France were practically ready and full of visitors seeking information about the program. Some already had activities, such as China, even after the confirmation of President Xi Jinping’s absence. The small pavilion reserved by the United States remained empty, without much movement.
* The reporter traveled at the invitation of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA)
