Did Baku’s Climate COP29 deliver?

Global leaders, climate policymakers, and other stakeholders like the private sector representatives, youth, and civil society, gathered in Baku, Azerbaijan from 11th to 22nd November 2024 for the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The spotlight was once again on the climate crisis, a review of the commitments and actions of countries, and setting an agenda for more ambitious climate actions. This year’s COP was crucial in setting a new financial goal, clarifying details of the work defining indicators for the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA). Other critical tracks also held high stakes beyond the central discussions on climate finance, adaptation, and carbon markets. These included advancing gender equality, youth involvement, and inclusivity in climate action. Topics like women and youth-led climate adaptation, gender-sensitive water security policies, and enhancing marginalized groups' participation in capacity development were pivotal in ensuring that climate solutions are just and inclusive.

Such discussions highlighted the importance of involving vulnerable groups not only as participants but as leaders in testing, adapting, and scaling climate-smart technologies and policies. COP29 was also set to fully operationalize the Paris Agreement by finalizing details on Article 6 which pertains to carbon markets. Countries are doing all this amidst geopolitically challenging times exacerbated by the ongoing wars in Russia-Ukraine and the Middle East. Meanwhile, climate crises across the globe such as severe droughts and devastating floods in many parts of Africa, cyclones in South Asia, and wildfires across the United States underscore the urgency of ambitious and effective efforts. These challenges demand rapid adaptation to escalating climate impacts, deeper emission reductions, and increased provision of support and resources to enable meaningful climate action.

While COP29 yielded several progressive agreements, some critical issues remained unresolved. The question persists: Did the conference succeed in driving global climate action forward, or were its promises more rhetorical than reality?

The Alliance at the COP

The Alliance was not left behind and was part of the COP29 where it made significant contributions to advancing climate adaptation and food system resilience, by actively engaging in multiple side events that showcased practical solutions at the intersection of climate action, agriculture, and sustainable development. These contributions centered on tangible, science-backed initiatives that align agricultural practices with climate goals, particularly in vulnerable regions.

At COP29, typical events include negotiations, where decisions are discussed and adopted, and side events and pavilions, where stakeholders share knowledge, showcase climate solutions, and engage in critical conversations. The Alliance’s active participation in side events provided a platform for demonstrating the role of climate-smart agriculture in achieving adaptation and mitigation goals. These events also highlighted the importance of inclusive and sustainable policies, ensuring that vulnerable groups and sectors, especially in agriculture, are supported in the global fight against climate change.

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At the Baku COP29 summit, these key issues took center stage

Closing the climate finance gap

Negotiators were needed to set a new global climate finance target for 2025 and onwards, working from the $100 billion per year commitment that countries had agreed upon earlier. Tough negotiations to address quantity and quality of climate finance, to put fair expectations on contributors of climate finance and ensure impact, and to mobilize necessary investment from the private sector. The new target must not only significantly increase financial pledges but should also improve the accessibility of these funds. The New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG in COP jargon) on climate finance will see funding rise to USD 300 billion annually by 2035, marking a monumental step in addressing the financial gap that has long hindered climate action. A long-term climate finance goal was established, aiming to mobilize $1.3 trillion annually by 2035, with a short-term target of $300 billion annually to support vulnerable nations.

At the UNEP side-event on Insights from the UNEP Adaptation Gap Report, the report revealed that adaptation financing currently stands at $28 billion, falling far short of the $187-359 billion needed annually. In response, there was a call for innovative solutions such as debt swaps, green bonds, and public-private partnerships to boost financing for climate adaptation. Pedro Chilambe, Co-Lead for Finance and Investments for Climate Action at the Alliance, has emphasized similar concerns regarding the financing gap and stressed the importance of leveraging financial innovations. He highlighted the role of nature-based solutions, such as reforestation and sustainable urban planning, which not only help mitigate climate impacts but also provide cost-effective ways to protect communities and ecosystems. These financial innovations are crucial for ensuring that vulnerable countries and communities have access to the resources needed to build resilience and tackle the impacts of climate change.

Establishing indicators for the Global Goal on Adaptation

At COP29, focus was also placed on advancing the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA), which aims to strengthen global adaptation efforts under the Paris Agreement. COP29 aimed to drive adaptation action by guiding countries from planning to implementing their adaptation plans. Building on the foundation set during COP28 in Dubai, UAE, where a framework for the GGA was established, COP29 sought to refine the indicators used to track progress and guide implementation efforts. These indicators are essential for enabling countries to measure adaptation progress both globally and in context-specific scenarios.

In this regard, the Alliance also made its contribution to this discourse by hosting a side-event dubbed; What next? Advancing the UAE-Belem work program on indicators for the Global Goal on Adaptation: The session focused on advancing the UAE-Belem work programme, aiming to refine indicators for the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA). A key topic was how to design both global and context-specific indicators that could reflect diverse regional conditions. As Lena Yasin, the lead negotiator for the NDCs, emphasized, "To effectively track adaptation progress, we need a balance between high-level global indicators and context-specific metrics. These must be supported by robust metadata to ensure the data collected reflects regional realities." This approach aims to strengthen both global and local adaptation tracking.

Technical discussions at COP29 also stressed aligning adaptation tracking mechanisms with frameworks like the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. These frameworks offer a basis for creating multi-layered adaptation targets, spanning survival thresholds to transformational goals. Further, countries are expected to finalize their National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) by 2025, with measurable implementation milestones set for 2030. COP29 also highlighted the critical need for adaptation financing, urging commitments to funds like the Adaptation Fund to support these efforts

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Translating COP decisions to national commitments: an example from Kenya

Countries must boost their ambition and set up expectations for the next cycle of national climate plans: The 2025 deadline for submitting Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) is approaching, and there is a pressing need for increased ambition. This marks the beginning of a new cycle for the Paris Ratchet mechanism within the Paris Agreement, which requires nations to submit increasingly ambitious climate commitments every five years, progressively raising their targets to reduce emissions. It is crucial to deliver and incorporate breakthrough language from COP28, including commitments to transition away from fossil fuels and increase renewable energy capacity at least threefold by 2030.

A case for Kenya: With support from the Alliance, Kenya launched its Climate-Smart Agriculture Investment Plan (CSAIP), aligning agricultural adaptation and mitigation strategies with its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and Long-Term Low Emission Development Strategies (LT-LEDS). The side-event hosted by the Alliance during the event highlighted the role of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) in driving both adaptation and mitigation across Africa.

Speaking at a special UNFCCC side-event on Updating NDCs for more ambitious Climate Mitigation and Adaptation in rice, soil and livestock, Kyle Dittmer from the Alliance emphasized that,

"Climate-smart agriculture is a win-win for farmers and the planet. By paying farmers for carbon sequestration, we can scale sustainable practices, boost food security, and combat climate change."

By 2024, the Loss and Damage Fund has made progress throughout the year, selecting the Philippines as the host for its board, establishing working relationships with the World Bank, and hiring an Executive Director. COP29 approved these interim steps and elevated the discussions on enhancing and improving loss and damage funding arrangements. Negotiators were expected to review the Warsaw International Mechanism (WIM), which was established to address the impacts of climate change that go beyond what people and ecosystems can adapt to. The review was a key opportunity to strengthen the WIM’s role and enhance its coordination with the newly created Loss and Damage Fund and the Santiago Network, which facilitates technical assistance to vulnerable countries in dealing with climate-related loss and damage. Additionally, COP29 focused on scaling up financial support within the evolving framework of loss and damage governance.

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Connecting COPs offer an opportunity for impactful collaboration

This year was a "triple COP" year, meaning that three key international environmental conferences are taking place: COP29 for climate change in Baku, COP16 for biodiversity in Cali, Colombia, and COP16 for desertification and soil degradation in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This convergence of conferences offers the opportunity for world leaders to align their efforts across these interconnected crises. Addressing climate change, biodiversity loss and land degradation together is essential for ensuring sustainable solutions that benefit planetary health with the outcomes of the COP16 for Biodiversity aligning very well with the Alliance’s commitments. In addition, the 12th World Urban Forum (WUF) ended just before COP29, providing an opportunity to carry forward the momentum generated during the event. WUF outcomes can serve as inputs at COP and highlight the importance of local leadership for ambitious climate action and the need to support cities in addressing climate-related loss and damage. Local governments must be empowered by addressing cities in NAPs, NDCs and newly designed mechanisms for access to loss and damage finance, ensuring better access to climate finance to rebuild and strengthen urban resilience, and providing support to communities most impacted by climate change.

Other wins during the COP29 in Baku include; a comprehensive framework for international carbon credit trading was adopted under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement,

providing new financial pathways for sustainability projects, emphasis placed on strengthening global early warning systems to combat rising climate risks, integrating satellite data and forecasting technologies, a pledge to triple global renewable energy capacity by 2030 was made, focusing on solar, wind, and nuclear energy to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, emphasis on urban resilience, with commitments to finance and support cities in building adaptive capacity against climate impacts and the need for nature-based solutions like green roofs and urban forests to enhance urban resilience and biodiversity.

While COP29 in Baku marked significant progress in global climate action, with advancements in climate finance, clean energy investments, and support for vulnerable nations, the journey remains incomplete. As Simon Stiell, UN Climate Change Executive Secretary, noted, "This deal is an insurance policy for humanity, but it only works if promises are kept." The negotiations in Baku demonstrated the urgency of international cooperation, but the question remains: will countries rise to the occasion and make the necessary progress? With COP30 approaching, the focus must shift from promises to tangible progress, fostering a more sustainable and inclusive future through sustained ambition, collaboration, and accountability.