The UN climate conference COP29 starts this Monday in Azerbaijan. Austrian Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen will not travel to Baku because he is still recovering from his intervertebral disc operation. Climate Protection Minister Leonore Gewessler (Greens) is expected instead.
The Greens’ energy and climate protection spokesperson Lukas Hammer and Green MEP Lena Schilling also announced their participation. Many powerful heads of state have now canceled their participation, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the presidents of France and Brazil, Emmanuel Macron and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
The conference, which lasts two weeks, will discuss, among other things, determining international climate financing from 2025. The Paris climate protection treaty, from which newly-elected US President Donald Trump wants to withdraw, will probably also be a problem. To limit global warming to 1.5 degrees, global greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced by 43 percent by the end of this decade (compared to 2019), according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). An exit from fossil fuels is important for this.
Here you can see a critique of conferences by climate activist Greta Thunberg.
SPÖ: “lip service is not enough”
In total, delegations from almost 200 countries are participating. “Lip service alone will not be enough as a result of this year’s conference,” SPÖ environmental spokeswoman Julia Herr said in a broadcast on Sunday. Social protection measures should be anchored in climate protection plans, because people on low incomes and in poorer countries are more affected by the consequences of climate change.
Greenpeace Austria also calls for clear plans to phase out fossil fuels. “To effectively protect people worldwide from the devastating consequences of the climate crisis, we need enough money,” said Jasmin Duregger of the environmental protection organization. While experts estimated that $2.4 trillion (equivalent to €2.24 trillion) would be needed annually for climate finance, the current target for funds was only $100 billion (equivalent to €93.30 billion).
China and the Gulf States are not paying
So far, only industrialized countries or those classified as such in 1992 have made deposits. Some now want China and the wealthy Gulf states to also participate in climate financing.
The host country Azerbaijan is not exactly considered a pioneer in the field of climate protection and human rights.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
