COP29 Special Edition

Hello!

It’s just one more day till the deadline for a deal at the COP29 talks in Baku, Azerbaijan, and frustration over the lack of progress is seeping out of the negotiating rooms.

So what needs to be done?

Well, a 25-page document stuffed with multiple options for almost every paragraph needs to become a two-page document that can be refined and then adopted.

Although the 10-page document was slimmed to less than half the size of the previous version by stripping out some options, it summed up the opposing positions of blocs of developed and developing nations established before the event.

Australia's environment minister Chris Bowen, tasked by the COP presidency with gathering the range of views in the negotiating rooms, said he had heard three proposals for the annual figure to be given by richer governments.

These were $900 billion, $600 billion and $440 billion, which compared with a previously announced starting point of $100 billion from the European Union.

Another developing country negotiator told Reuters the European Union had floated $200 billion or $300 billion in informal talks. But on Wednesday, the EU maintained it did not have an official position on the number.

‘It’s embarrassing’

Egypt's Minister of Environment, Yasmine Fouad, said countries had agreed not to treat the better off developing nations the same as richer nations when it came to paying in.

Such a move was non-negotiable for many countries.

Ana Toni, Brazil's National Secretary for Climate Change, told Reuters it was a "red line for Brazil".

Uganda's Adonia Ayebare, who chairs the G77 and China group of more than 130 developing countries, said its demand was for wealthy nations to provide $1.3 trillion in public climate finance per year.

"The frustration is that the other side has not given us a counter offer," Ayebare told Reuters.

"We are hearing $300 billion. But if that is true, that's really not acceptable. It's embarrassing," he said.

Fossil fuel talks also slow

Talks on speeding up efforts to cut climate-damaging emissions are also proving to be tough.

OPEC Secretary General Haitham Al Ghais used a speech at the summit to say crude oil and natural gas were a gift from God.

Austria's climate minister Leonore Gewessler told Reuters the Arab group of countries led by Saudi Arabia had been "very vocal in watering down the mitigation part" of negotiations.

A representative for Saudi Arabia's delegation did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Climate scientists say the world is on track for as much as 3.1 Celsius of warming by the end of this century, according to the 2024 U.N. Emissions Gap report.

Australia's Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen prepares for a plenary session at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan. REUTERS/Murad Sezer

Laura Rico, campaign director at global non-profit Avaaz, shares her thoughts on COP29’s thematic day on Indigenous Peoples, gender equality and biodiversity:

“As COP29 talks remain gridlocked, there is an overlooked group with the best solutions to the climate crisis – Indigenous Peoples.

“They already have a proven track record of protecting our planet and their territories are incredible carbon sinks, intersecting 40% of intact land ecosystems. 

“Just in the Amazon, Indigenous Peoples have conserved nearly 45% of its intact forests. Yet, they lack participation in important decision-making processes. 

“Last month, at the Biodiversity COP16 in Colombia, the Chair of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, Hindou Ibrahim, said: ‘Indigenous People are the Messis, the Cristiano Ronaldos of biodiversity protection, pass us the ball!’.

“But still, parties refuse to pass them the ball. 

"The 'people's COP' is not listening to the best experts. Indigenous Peoples don't even have translation to follow the discussions.

“Despite this, COP29 has too many oil executives playing on the field, which is why Indigenous Peoples are looking at next year's COP30, happening at the heart of the Amazon, to finally sit at the negotiation table and see concrete results.

“Leaders from Brazil, Australia, and the Pacific Islands launched an Indigenous Troika to build strategies and arrive at COP30 speaking from a position of climate authorities. 

“The world is looking forward to Belém as a true Indigenous COP, and it should start with an Indigenous co-presidency.”

A fallen tree sits atop a car after a powerful storm hit the U.S. Pacific Northwest and western Canada, wreaking havoc on road travel, in Seattle, Washington, U.S. REUTERS/David Ryder

Japanese manicurist Naomi Arimoto collects plastic waste from the sand at a beach in Chigasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. REUTERS/Manami Yamada

Today’s spotlight focuses on a Japanese manicurist who has been using Umigomi, or "sea trash," to make nail art since 2021.

Naomi Arimoto carefully sifts sand for tiny bits of plastic that she can mold into decorative tips to put on the false nails at her salon. She came up with the idea after taking part in community cleanups along the coast.