A series of reports released just before the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP29) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change highlighted the urgency of strengthening collective efforts to address this global challenge.
According to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), global average temperatures rose so high in the first ten months of this year that 2024 is almost certain to become the hottest year ever recorded. This year is also the first time global temperatures have risen more than 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
C3S Director Carlo Buontempo is concerned that temperatures are rising across all continents and oceans. He assesses that the main cause of this situation is the impact of climate change. The increase in greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere, the El Niño phenomenon, volcanic eruptions and other factors contribute to Earth’s warming.
Similar to C3S, a recent report published by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) also predicts that global temperatures will exceed the record set in 2023 this year. According to the WMO, the climate crisis continues to escalate globally.
Severe heat waves, droughts, forest fires, storms and floods have forced many countries to struggle to respond to and overcome the severe consequences caused by these extreme weather events.
Recently, devastating flash floods in Spain claimed more than 200 lives. Hurricane Helene, following Hurricane Milton, with tornadoes, heavy rain and flooding, swept through Florida in the US, claiming many lives and destroying infrastructure.
A recent report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) shows that 171 countries have implemented policies, strategies or plans to respond to and mitigate the impacts of climate change, albeit with varying implementation and effectiveness.
However, some countries have not undertaken any efforts due to instability, conflicts or inability to access necessary resources.
According to UNEP data, funding from developed countries to developing countries for climate change adaptation increased to approximately 28 billion USD in 2022. This is the highest level since the Paris Agreement on climate change was signed in 2015.
However, this figure is still far from the estimated 387 billion USD per year needed for developing countries to adapt to climate change. In response to this situation, UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen calls on countries to take early action to reduce climate change impacts while emphasising that providing funding is becoming more urgent than ever.
COP29 begins today (November 11) and is expected to continue until November 22 in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. The central task of COP29 is to reach a consensus on the annual financial support commitments countries will provide to help developing countries respond to climate change.
This is a controversial issue due to conflicting interests between stakeholders. Therefore, despite being discussed at many climate conferences, both large and small, the parties have not yet reached a common voice on this issue.
On the eve of COP29, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed concern that humanity is “torching” the planet, causing the world to face extreme weather events.
As preventing the climate crisis becomes increasingly urgent, Guterres believes leaders coming to Baku should not delay but work together to promote common goals.
Along with financial objectives, the UN chief also calls on countries to present new action plans to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C while addressing the root causes of the climate crisis.
