BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 12. Billions of people simply cannot risk their governments leaving COP29 without agreeing on a global climate finance target, the Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Simon Stiell said at the opening of the World Leaders' Climate Action Summit in Baku, Trend reports.
“Bolder climate action can drive economic opportunity and abundance everywhere. Cheap, clean energy can be the bedrock of your economies. It means more jobs, more growth, less pollution choking cities, healthier citizens, and stronger businesses. Billions of people simply cannot afford for their governments to leave COP29 without a global climate finance goal.
So for leaders here and back in capitals –make it clear that you expect a strong set of outcomes. Tell your negotiators - skip the posturing – and move directly to finding common ground. We also need your direct engagement on new national climate targets and plans - NDCs. So all of you can benefit from the boom in clean energy and climate resilience,” he said.
Stiell emphasized that while these are indeed challenging times, resorting to desperation is not a viable strategy and is ultimately misguided.
"These are not easy times, but despair is not a strategy, and it's not warranted. Our process is strong, and it will endure. After all, international cooperation is the only way humanity survives global warming. The time for hand-wringing is over; let’s get on with the job," he added.
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 today at the Baku Olympic Stadium. The event is the largest organized by Azerbaijan to date and is the first time the region has hosted the event in Azerbaijan.
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.