Daily News
Day 2 of COP29: “A Masterclass in Human Destruction.”
On Day 2 of COP29 in Azerbaijan the UN Secretary-General urged swift action, highlighting the recent surge in extreme weather and record temperatures fuelled by climate breakdown. He also emphasised the urgent need for bold measures as leaders convene to address the escalating climate crisis.
António Guterres delivered a vivid account of the harsh consequences of climate breakdown seen in recent months. “Families running for their lives before the next hurricane strikes; workers and pilgrims collapsing in insufferable heat; floods tearing through communities and tearing down infrastructure; children going to bed hungry as droughts ravage crops,” he said. “All these disasters, and more, are being supercharged by human-made climate change.”
The talks have been overshadowed by the re-election of Donald Trump, a known climate sceptic, to the U.S. presidency. While leaders like the UK’s Keir Starmer, Barbados’s Mia Mottley, and Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdoğan attended, heads of several major economies were notably absent
Keir Starmer unveiled an ambitious plan to cut the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions by 81% by 2035 from 1990 levels, a move praised by experts and campaigners. As one of the first major economies to announce such targets ahead of the UN’s February deadline, the UK aims to achieve this through electricity sector decarbonisation, alongside policies promoting public transport, walking, and a shift from gas to electric heat pumps. Starmer emphasised that these changes won’t require drastic lifestyle adjustments, adding, “The race is on for the clean energy jobs of the future, the economy of tomorrow. I don’t want to be in the middle of the pack, I want to get ahead of the game.”
Ilham Aliyev, president of COP29’s host nation Azerbaijan, offered a contrasting perspective. With fossil fuels accounting for 90% of Azerbaijan’s export revenue, the country’s oil and gas infrastructure is a visible part of Baku’s landscape. Calling Azerbaijan’s oil and gas “a gift from God,” Aliyev signalled that extraction would continue, emphasising the country’s deep-rooted reliance on these resources. “As president of COP29, of course we will be a strong advocate for green transition, and we are doing it,” he told the event. “But at the same time, we must be realistic.”
As Day 2 of COP29 concluded, the urgency for unified global action became ever clearer, setting the stage for deeper commitments and concrete steps in the days ahead. Check back tomorrow for a roundup of Day 3 highlights, expected to include the publication of the 2024 Global Carbon Budget and a potential draft on new climate finance. If you haven’t yet, be sure to reserve your free spot at our upcoming COP29 roundtable discussion on Monday, November 25th.
Sources:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cly0gzxgzrmt