Baku, Azerbaijan The outcome of the recent elections in the United States looms large on the United Nations Climate Change Summit, which opened in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Monday, Nov. 11, 2024.
As thousands of delegates gathered at the Olympic Stadium in Baku, the venue of this year’s meeting, questions lingered regarding the role and leadership of the U.S. moving forward.
However, the current U.S. special envoy for climate arrived here hopeful, reiterating Washington’s leadership in this critical global issue.
“The work to contain climate change is going to continue in the United States with commitment, passion and belief,” John Podesta said to journalists at a press conference on the opening day.
“This is not the end of our fight for a cleaner, safer planet. Facts are still facts. Science is still science. The fight is bigger than one election, one political cycle in one country.”
As COP29 opens in Baku, the global community is emerging from another challenging year marked by devastating extremes: relentless heat waves, catastrophic floods, widespread crop failures and fierce forest fires — underscoring the pressing need for action and collaboration among nations to fight the climate crisis.
“This fight is bigger still because we are all living for a year defined by the climate crisis in every country of the world,” Podesta told journalists.
U.S. voters elected Donald Trump as their next president following the elections Nov. 5th. Trump has referred to climate change as a hoax. He pulled the U.S. out of the Paris climate agreement during his first term in office and is poised to do so again once inaugurated. Many observers are concerned that he will reverse several climate-friendly policies enacted by the current administration and withdraw from ongoing international efforts to address the escalating challenges posed by climate change.
This year, the world experienced a series of climate-related disasters, including record floods in Spain, hurricanes Helene and Milton in the United States and historic droughts and floods across Africa. Additionally, Typhoon Yagi caused significant flooding in Myanmar and the Philippines. The U.S. special envoy emphasized that “none of this is a hoax.”
“It is real. It’s a matter of life and death. Fortunately, many in our country and around the world are working to prepare the world for this new reality and to mitigate the most catastrophic effects of climate change.”
‘We are here to work’
In two and a half months, the new administration will take over in the United States. While the COP delegates and the international community await specific proposals from the Trump administration, U.S. government representatives at COP are continuing to promote actions and policies aimed at addressing the climate crisis.
“We are here to work and are committed to achieving a successful outcome at COP29,” said
Podesta, a former chief of staff under President Bill Clinton and counselor to President Barack Obama. “COP is a critical opportunity to solidify our progress and keep the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5° [Celsius, or 2.7° Fahrenheit] alive. It is essential to accelerate efforts to reduce all greenhouse gases and, notably, to strengthen global cooperation on adaptation and climate-related issues,” he added.
Stepping up climate finance
The success of COP29 largely depends on the ability of participating countries to agree on new financial targets aimed at raising funds that will support developing nations in their transition to renewable energy and adaptation to climate change and addressing loss and damage. The U.S. envoy emphasized that the United States is committed to ensuring COP29 meets ambitious financial targets.
“The United States has been focused on ensuring that the least developed economies, particularly small island states and other vulnerable nations, have access to climate finance,” the envoy stated.
Podesta also called for improved access to climate funds for developing countries, saying, “We have been engaging with international financial institutions and climate funds to simplify their processes, so these economies can more easily access funding.”
During the discussions in Baku, a new financial target known as the New Collective Quantitative Target (NCQG) is expected to be introduced. The U.S. envoy expressed hope that these discussions would lead to a definitive framework for the NCQG.
Expanding the methane coalition
Methane, alongside carbon, is one of the most harmful gases contributing to the climate crisis. COP28, held in Dubai in 2023, saw the expansion of a coalition aimed at further reducing methane emissions. When journalists inquired whether the U.S. would maintain its leadership role in this effort, the U.S. special envoy responded, “I believe you will see a number of new commitments from countries to reduce methane emissions from the oil and gas sector at this COP.”
The U.S. is one of the industrialized nations that has implemented regulations to address methane emissions from fossil fuels. The envoy added, “we have established strong rules to tackle this issue, and we are committed to ensuring that these regulations remain in place to significantly reduce methane emissions from the oil and gas industry in the U.S.”
Banner image: by David Akana/ Mongabay
