BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 15. Culture mustn't become 'victim' of climate change, said an appeal from the UAE Minister of Climate Change and Environment Amna bint Abdullah Al Dahak, read by the country's Acting Assistant Deputy Minister for Green Development and Climate Change Sector Alanoud Alhaj Al Ali during the "2nd High-Level Ministerial Dialogue for Culture-Based Climate Action" at COP29 today, Trend reports.
"Today, we have gathered to discuss the critical interconnection between climate and culture, and their role in building a more sustainable, secure, and resilient future. In the UAE, we understand the devastating and destructive consequences that climate change has on people's lives, livelihoods, communities, and cultures," the appeal mentioned.
The appeal also pointed out that climate change undermines the foundations of societies, communities, and the environment, as well as the ecosystems that regulate our climate.
"Communities that give us a sense of belonging, cultures that define our identity — all of these are at risk - from the loss of physical cultural heritage to the destruction of unique traditions and indigenous knowledge systems," the appeal further said.
The appeal emphasized that nearly a third of the cities on the World Heritage List are located in coastal areas, making them particularly vulnerable to escalating climate changes, and the unique cultural identity represented by these sites is under imminent threat.
Culture can be part of the solution to bridge the gap between information and action, as well as inspire deeper commitment to the climate agenda and drive active engagement, added the appeal.
To note, the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29), which will run until November 22, opened at the Baku Olympic Stadium on November 11. It is the largest event organized by Azerbaijan to date, and the first time in the region that it is being held in Azerbaijan.
Within COP29, the highest level event - the summit of world leaders on climate action - was held on November 12–13.
The main expectation from COP29 is to agree on a fair and ambitious New Collective Quantitative Goal (NCQG) on climate finance. The COP29 chairmanship has launched 14 initiatives that include linkages between climate action and the Sustainable Development Goals, including green energy corridors, green energy storage, harmony for climate resilience, clean hydrogen, methane reduction in organic waste, action on green digital technologies, and other topics.
In addition to being a top priority that creates the conditions for action, creating climate finance will also help fulfill the 1.5°C pledge by bringing everyone together.
The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change is an agreement signed at the Rio Earth Summit in June 1992 to prevent dangerous human interference in the climate system. The acronym COP (Conference of Parties) stands for “Conference of Parties” and is the highest legislative body overseeing the implementation of the Framework Convention on Climate Change.
A total of 198 countries are parties to the Convention. Unless otherwise decided by the parties, COP is held annually. The first COP event was held in March 1995 in Berlin, and its secretariat is located in Bonn.
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