BAKU: As COP29 commenced on Monday, U.S. climate envoy John Podesta reassured global leaders that efforts to address climate change would persist despite Donald Trump’s re-election. The summit, held from November 11-22, faces heightened uncertainty following Trump’s victory, with the incoming administration expected to reconsider the Paris climate agreement.
Podesta emphasized that even if federal action slows, U.S. states, cities, and citizens remain committed to the climate fight. “The work to contain climate change is bigger than one election or political cycle,” he stated.
Opening the conference, UN climate chief Simon Stiell urged international collaboration, stressing that climate finance is not charity but essential to global self-interest. Calls to increase the current $100 billion annual climate finance target for developing nations were met with complex negotiations, with COP29 President Mukhtar Babayev acknowledging that realistic goals should reach the hundreds of billions.
Developed nations urged expansion of the donor pool to include wealthy high-emission countries like China, a stance opposed by Beijing. Amid record temperatures and the UN’s warning of a potential 3.1°C warming trajectory, the conference seeks urgent action to uphold the Paris Agreement goals.
