COP29 Dispatch

What Congress Needs to Know from Baku

Welcome! Today is the first day of COP29.

Delegates from around the world streamed into Baku Olympic Stadium, and the temporary buildings constructed around it, for the first day of the United Nations climate summit. As participants got acquainted with the space—from the vast pavilion hall to the shortest line for a coffee—the official negotiations got off to a slow start with a day-long process to approve the agendas for COP29.

Delegates, observers, and media crowd outside the main plenary hall, which was where COP28 President Sultan Al Jaber passed the gavel to his successor, Mukhtar Babayev of Azerbaijan.

During a press conference, U.S. Senior Advisor to the President for International Climate Policy John Podesta recognized Veterans Day: “Today is a day across much of the world that we remember those who were willing to pay the ultimate price to build a more peaceful world. In the United States, it is Veterans Day, a day to honor all those who answered our country’s highest call to service, to whom we owe not just our eternal gratitude, but truly our freedom. We owe it to them and to all people who care about the future of this planet to make the most of these next two weeks and to make sure we have a successful outcome.”

If you are in Baku, catch up with EESI President Daniel Bresette and Policy Director Anna McGinn! To connect, email Anna at [email protected].

Come visit us at Exhibit Booth 23 in Area B of the Blue Zone.

Missed Friday’s edition? Check it out here. We are also compiling key COP29 announcements throughout the conference—check back for updates.

Confused by COP terminology and acronyms? Check out EESI's glossary of terms and other helpful guides in the COP29 Resources section! Looking for more information? Reach out to Anna at [email protected].

Key Takeaways for Congress

At the opening ceremony, COP29 President Mukhtar Babayev emphasized the priority of agreeing on a new collective quantified goal on climate finance. (NCQG) (Negotiations)
U.S. Senior Advisor to the President for International Climate Policy John Podesta addressed the U.S. election outcome and reaffirmed the country’s commitment to climate ambition at COP29 and at a subnational level. (U.S. Updates)
The World Meteorological Organization found that 2024 will be the hottest year on record, that 2015 to 2024 is slated to be the warmest decade on record, and that from January to September 2024, the global average near-surface temperature was 1.54°C (2.77°F) above pre-industrial levels. (Around the World)

Negotiations

UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell speaking at the COP29 opening ceremony.
Credit: Kiara Worth via @simonstiell on X/Twitter

Opening ceremony: The opening ceremony of the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC, the 19th meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol, and the sixth meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement began with a formal transfer of leadership from COP28 President Sultan Al Jaber of the UAE to COP29 President Mukhtar Babayev, minister of ecology and natural resources of Azerbaijan. The new president followed up with a speech highlighting his top priority: to agree on a new collective quantified goal on climate finance (NCQG). UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell closed out the session by framing the NCQG as an economic necessity, and imploring high-income countries to “dispense with the idea that climate finance is charity. An ambitious new climate finance goal is entirely in the self-interest of every single nation, including the largest and wealthiest.”

Opening plenary: As of the writing of this newsletter, the parties were still in the process of approving this year’s negotiating agendas—a slower start to the conference than usual. All side events and press conferences continued as scheduled today, but the climate negotiations themselves will not begin until the agendas have been adopted.
- EESI Briefing: What’s on the Table for the Negotiations

The finance question: According to Germanwatch's new report on climate finance, specific sticking points for COP29 negotiations will likely include high-income countries’ tightening climate finance budgets, the distinction between “high-income” and “developing” countries, whether loss and damage finance should be prioritized over adaptation funding, and what types of funding will count as climate finance. The report also discusses what to expect for negotiations on adaptation, nationally determined contributions (NDCs), loss and damage, mitigation, and the Just Transition Work Programme (JTWP).

U.S. Updates

EESI's Anna McGinn and Daniel Bresette pause for a souvenir photo while walking through the massive COP29 complex.

Podesta on the election: At a press conference, U.S. Senior Advisor to the President for International Climate Policy John Podesta addressed the “bitterly disappointing” U.S. election outcome. He highlighted the Biden-Harris Administration’s climate accomplishments and reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to climate ambition at COP29, and at a subnational level, in the wake of last week’s election.

Climate education: At a press conference led by Vanderbilt University, graduate and PhD students participating in the National Science Foundation-funded Climate Leaders Academy discussed how the program has driven a multidisciplinary approach to climate education in U.S. higher education.

Around the World

Credit: Kamran Guliyev via UNFCCC on Flickr

The looming 1.5: In a World Meteorological Organization (WMO) press conference, the group presented key findings from their State of the Climate 2024 report released today. The report stated that 2024 will be the hottest year on record, that 2015 to 2024 is slated to be the warmest decade on record, and that from January to September 2024, the global average near-surface temperature was 1.54°C (2.77°F) above pre-industrial levels—a level exceeding the Paris Agreement goal of limiting warming to 1.5°C (2.7°F).

Adaptation update: The Least Developed Country Expert Group (LEG) provided findings and updates on support for and progress towards national adaptation plan (NAP) implementation around the world. As of September 23, 2024, 58 developing countries have submitted NAPs, but several barriers to implementation remain, and the LEG found “little evidence” to show that existing adaptation projects have actually reduced human and ecological vulnerability to climate impacts.

Show me the numbers: At the LEG side event (login required for link), the Green Climate Fund (GCF) detailed its COP28 commitment of designating 50% of funding for adaptation, half of which will support adaptation in least developed countries. Among other initiatives, GCF’s adaptation financing has provided $7 million to each funding recipient country for country-led climate adaptation, including capacity building for NAP development and implementation. The GCF plans to scale up adaptation finance through avenues such as blended finance models, climate insurance, and encouraging countries to support “bankable” projects that attract both public and private investment.
- EESI briefing: Congress and International Climate Finance

Green Climate Fund on global financial systems: Country and private-sector leaders gathered at a side event hosted by GCF that focused on reforming international financial architecture for the 21st century. Speakers highlighted the importance of empowering developing countries to meet their climate goals and discussed GCF’s role in international finance reform.
- EESI podcast: Why Should Congress Care about International Climate Finance? With Henry Gonzalez of the Green Climate Fund

Building ocean solutions: At a Global Ocean Forum and Plymouth Marine Laboratory event, ocean leaders discussed strategies to support ocean sustainability. Speakers emphasized the importance of evidence gathering, cross-sector collaboration, quick information sharing, and building local understanding.
- EESI article: "Making Waves: The Importance of Oceans at COP28"

Just resilience: A diverse panel of stakeholders, hosted by the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Climate Strategies, and Stockholm Environment Institute, highlighted the importance of equity in climate adaptation—or “just resilience” in climate adaptation work. Speaker Mbulaheni Mbodi, of the South Africa Presidential Climate Commission, outlined procedural justice, distributive justice, and restorative justice as keys to a just transition, emphasizing the inclusion of all stakeholders and the balanced distribution of adaptation risks, impacts, and opportunities.

Great expectations for the climate talks: A side event at the World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF’s) pavilion discussed aspirational outcomes of COP29 that would set the stage for COP30 in Brazil. Panelists highlighted multilateralism as an essential component of each of the potential outcomes, including the NCQG, new pledges for adaptation and loss and damage finance, and progress towards new NDCs that reflect a fossil fuel phaseout. This event also promoted WWF’s October 2024 report, Financing our Future; Unleashing Climate Action.

Resources

EESI resources

Briefing series: What Congress Needs to Know About COP29
- What's on the Table for the Negotiations?
- Methane Mitigation on the Global Stage
- U.S.-China Engagement and International Climate Diplomacy
Climate Change Solutions: Bi-weekly newsletter covering climate, energy, and environmental issues
COP29 Announcement Tracker: Key Announcements from the 2024 UN Climate Summit. Also, check out this article with updates on past COP announcements.
U.S. Leaders at COP29: Updates on Members of Congress and Other U.S. Officials at the 2024 UN Climate Summit
EESI's United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Glossary of Terms

Tracking the negotiations

CarbonBrief: Reporting and analysis on the UN climate talks, with in-depth tracking of country positions in the negotiations
COP29 Resource Hub: World Resources Institute's extensive set of resources on the climate negotiations
Earth Negotiations Bulletin: A play-by-play of the negotiations, plus expert analysis from the International Institute for Sustainable Development
ECO Newsletter: The climate advocate’s perspective from Climate Action Network International

Background and logistics

Azerbaijan COP29 presidency website: Priorities, details, and logistics for the negotiations from this year’s host country
UNFCCC COP29 website: Conference details and all updates on documents produced during the negotiations
Congressional Research Service: Reports related to the UNFCCC

Questions about COP29?

Reach out to EESI Policy Director Anna McGinn with your questions. We will get back to you or include the information in an upcoming newsletter.

Thanks for reading!

This newsletter covering COP29 will be running from November 8 - November 25.
If you thought this newsletter was interesting, forward it to someone you know!
If you were forwarded this edition, sign up here.

Staff contributors: Daniel Bresette, Molly Brind’Amour, Alison Davis, Amaury Laporte, Anna McGinn, and Nicole Pouy

About EESI

EESI is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit advancing science-based solutions for climate change, energy, and environmental challenges to achieve a sustainable, resilient, and equitable world. Founded on a bipartisan basis by members of Congress, EESI has been informing policymakers about the benefits of energy efficiency, renewable energy, and environmental conservation since 1984.

CFC #10627