COP29 Special Edition

Hello!

It is the second day of the second week at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, and there has been little progress in finding a way of providing trillions of dollars in financing for climate projects.

What’s the hold up?

It boils down to "bluffing, brinkmanship and premeditated playbooks," according to the United Nations climate chief Simon Stiell.

Developed countries, including those in Europe, argue that the contributor base needs to be expanded to include richer developing countries, such as China and richer Middle Eastern countries to agree on an ambitious goal.

But developing countries, such as G20 host Brazil, have pushed back on expanding beyond developed countries, the main culprits behind climate change.

All chat, no action

Over at the meeting the Group of 20 leaders in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, leaders called for “rapidly and substantially increasing climate finance from billions to trillions from all sources.” 

But while the G20 joint statement said nations needed to resolve the issue, they did not suggest a solution for the U.N. summit.

Economists suggest that the goal should be at least $1 trillion annually.

Stalling on fossil fuels

Another contentious area of discussion has been how to move forward with a deal struck in Dubai last year on transitioning from climate-damaging fossil fuels.

A dispute over this delayed the start of negotiations last week and it looks like little progress has been made towards resolution.

European and small island countries have run up against the Arab group of nations on how prominent the future of fossil fuels should be on the agenda and how countries should be held accountable for the promises they made last year.

Also on my radar today:

China's President Xi Jinping attends the G20 summit at the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. REUTERS/Pilar Olivares

Olga Petryniak, senior director for East Africa resilience programmes at non-profit, Mercy Corps, shares her thoughts on COP29’s thematic day on food, water, and agriculture:

“As the effects of climate change deepen and accelerate, East Africa faces some of the most acute consequences, from persistent droughts to unpredictable rainfall patterns that disrupt entire food systems and displace countless thousands of people. 

“As a result of both climate change and increasing conflict, we are witnessing a troubling rise in hunger. Smallholder farmers and pastoralists here are on the frontlines, with their livelihoods threatened by water scarcity, crop failures, and rising food prices.

“COP29 presents an opportunity to scale-up funding in order to deliver real impact for these communities – those least responsible for climate change but hardest hit by its impacts.  

“We must see a commitment to climate finance that is accessible, equitable, and structured to empower these communities to lead their own adaptation efforts. They need support to innovate and build resilience without the burden of debt. This is the only path to real progress.”

A drone views shows firefighters while they work to extinguish a wildfire at El Cajas National Park, in Cuenca, Ecuador. REUTERS/Santiago Arcos

Paraskevi Kouvdi works in the family’s pottery workshop in Agios Stefanos village, near Mandamados on the Greek island of Lesbos, Greece. REUTERS/Elias Marcou

Today’s spotlight shines a light on a cultural preservation initiative in Greece.

In his seaside workshop on the Greek island of Lesbos, Nikos Kouvdis uses ancient techniques to create pottery pieces that have recently been honored with inclusion in UNESCO's National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Kouvdis, 70, and his family have kept an old technique alive near the once humming pottery hub of Mandamados, just as the slow and careful methods of the past have been largely eclipsed by factory machines.