Climate Summit

Describing COP29 as one steeped in "semantics and not solutions", a senior Indian official has called the proceedings a missed opportunity to mobilize meaningful climate finance for adaptation and mitigation efforts in developing nations. Leena Nandan, Secretary of the Environment, Forest, and Climate Change Ministry, highlighted India's strong stance during negotiations and its leadership role in articulating concerns of the developing world. Speaking about the outcomes of COP29 at a session, she said the conference, which was anticipated to focus on implementation, fell short of expectations. "This was to be an enabling COP, a COP which was going to be focused on the means of implementation and what is means of implementation other than funds and resources. And here it was that we found semantics and not solutions. We found rhetoric and not results. And that has been the biggest disappointment," she said, adding that the sentiment was echoed across the Global South. Nandan ...

Two weeks of acrimonious negotiations in Azerbaijan's capital Baku resulted in a deal for $300 billion in annual climate finance by 2035

After an all-nighter, a draft text on the new climate finance package for the developing world finally dropped Thursday morning -- shrunk from 25 pages to 10, but the major sticking points remain. With less than two days left for the UN climate conference to close, negotiators face a gargantuan task to hammer it out. A quick glance at the text shows developed countries are still dodging a key question: How much climate finance are they ready to give developing countries every year starting in 2025? This has led to significant frustration among developing countries, who have repeatedly said they need at least USD 1.3 trillion to tackle the escalating challenges. "The revised draft text, while more streamlined, presents a spectrum of options -- some good, some bad, and some outright ugly," said Harjeet Singh, a climate activist and Global Engagement Director for the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative. He said it acknowledges the need for public funds from developed ...

Developing countries are asking for up to USD 900 billion in public funding from a total of USD 1.3 trillion they seek from developed nations in the new climate finance package for reducing emissions and adapting to the growing impacts of climate change. Negotiators told PTI that the Like-Minded Developing Countries (LMDC) group has called for USD 600 billion in public funding, supplemented by private finance at concessional rates to meet the USD 1.3 trillion goal. Meanwhile, the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) is pushing for USD 900 billion in government funding, while the Arab Group has proposed USD 440 billion. Although developed countries have yet to officially propose a figure, their negotiators indicated that European Union nations are discussing a global climate finance target of USD 200 billion to USD 300 billion per year. EU climate commissioner Wopke Hoekstra told reporters that developed countries want to ascertain the package's components before committing to a

With time running down, negotiators at the United Nations annual climate talks on Wednesday returned to the puzzle of finding an agreement to bring far more money for vulnerable nations to adapt than wealthier countries have shown they're willing to pay. Pressure was building to drive a deal by the time COP29, as this year's summit is known, concludes this week. COP29 President Mukhtar Babayev asked negotiators to clear away the technical part of talks by Wednesday afternoon so they can focus on substance. That substance is daunting. Vulnerable nations are seeking USD 1.3 trillion to deal with damage from climate change and to adapt to that change, including building out their own clean-energy systems. Experts agree that at least USD 1 trillion is called for, but both figures are far more than the developed world has so far offered. Half the world away in Rio, Brazil, where the Group of 20 summit was wrapping up on Tuesday, the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told

As world leaders and climate negotiators converge on Baku for COP29, beginning Monday, India is set to bring renewed focus to the urgent need for climate finance, accountability, and protection for vulnerable communities. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not attend the conference, and Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav may also be absent, with Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest, and Climate Change Kirti Vardhan Singh leading the 19-member delegation instead. India's national statement is scheduled for November 18-19. India's key priorities at the conference are likely to focus on ensuring accountability of developed nations on climate finance, strengthening resilience for vulnerable communities, and achieving an equitable energy transition, experts anticipate. Dr. Arunabha Ghosh, CEO of the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), emphasised that COP29 must go beyond promises, pushing developed nations to accelerate their paths to net zero and meet their ...

Delegates at the conference must adopt the summit agenda by consensus as their first task when the COP29 talks begin on Nov. 11 in Baku, Azerbaijan

Island leaders are expected to issue a declaration on ocean protection at the summit, with climate change being a central topic of discussion

Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on Tuesday said developing countries need more than USD five trillion to meet their climate goals by 2030, and the USD 100 billion promised earlier by developed nations is "too small" an amount. Addressing the 19th Sustainability Summit organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Yadav said that developed countries, which are historically responsible for most greenhouse gas emissions and appropriating a large share of the global carbon budget, had pledged USD 100 billion and technology transfer to help developing nations combat climate change. "But they failed on both fronts... Now, developing countries need more than USD five trillion. USD 100 billion is too small an amount," he said. He added that if poorer nations, such as Ethiopia, were to adopt the consumption patterns of developed countries, humanity would need the resources of seven Earths to meet the global demands. Yadav also said the consumption patterns in India ali

The COP29 climate talks in Azerbaijan's Baku is the world's only chance to bridge the gaps in climate action and finance which is crucial to "rebuild trust" among countries and protect lives and livelihoods, Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland has said. In an interview with PTI via Zoom, Scotland said it is important to have the fossil-fuel producers as allies in the fight against climate change. Azerbaijan, the host of this year's UN climate talks, is a small petrostate on the Caspian Sea. Nearly all of its exports are oil and gas. "We are nearing the cliff, the critical 1.5 degrees Celsius limit. In fact, some of our scientists say that we are there now. Our home, our planet, is literally on fire. Instead of action, we see the gaps in emissions, finance, and justice widening. It is our duty to bridge those gaps, and COP is our only chance. It comes at a moment of immeasurable urgency," Scotland said. She said rich countries promised to provide USD 100 billion (one ..

TMS Ep579: Women voters, hosting COP28, Adani group stocks, Global South

Are women voters the new trump card? What would India gain by hosting the COP28 summit? Is the worst over for Adani group stocks? What is the Global South? All answers here

In an interview with AFP on Saturday, Jaber had defended the large presence of heavy-emitting industries, including the oil and gas sector

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries said that the IEA has "unjustly vilified" the industry over its role in the climate crisis

The Forum, taking place from 1-2 December alongside the World Climate Action Summit, will convene over 1000 global Heads of State, Government and other stakeholders

In its Global Climate Report for October, NCEI said that almost all states have parts that have been affected by drought, except Rajasthan and Punjab

The Conclave will brainstorm mitigating the impact of climate change on agriculture, espousing cow-based natural farming, and promoting coarse food grains or millets

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' Climate Ambition Summit highlighted two key aspects: the conspicuous absence of leaders from major emitter nations and a unanimous call for phasing out fossil fuels by attending leaders. Guterres' "no-nonsense summit" on Wednesday came at a time when the world is reeling under the devastating impacts of climate change and probably the hottest year on record. However, leaders from some of the world's largest polluting nations, the US and China, were conspicuously absent from the summit Guterres called to reinvigorate efforts to combat the climate crisis. Notable omissions also included leaders from the UK, Japan, France and India. Among the top carbon emitters, only the European Union received an invitation. Ahead of the summit, Antonio Guterres had unveiled his Acceleration Agenda, saying only 'movers' and 'doers' would be allowed to attend. In a significant shift from the 2019 UN Climate Action Summit, this gathering saw nearly

Over 80,000 delegates, including over 140 heads of state and government leaders, would participate in COP28 which is scheduled to be held next year in the UAE, Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, one of the country's ministers and special envoy for climate change, has said. Al Jaber, who is the minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and the UAE's special envoy for climate change, highlighted the importance of the UAE hosting the Conference of the Parties and said COP28 will be an important global event coinciding with the country's national day and will be held at Expo City Dubai. "COP2, which will be hosted in the UAE in 2023, will welcome high-level participation including over 140 heads of state and government leaders, over 80,000 delegates, and more than 5,000 media professionals," Al Jaber said on Tuesday, He said the determination of the UAE, its strong diplomatic relations with global nations and its pragmatic position on climate action, underpinned by proven experience in the energ

India's call to end all fossil fuels not acknowledged in final draft

COP27 does not push forward India's agenda significantly