Azerbaijan, hosting COP29, urged nations to bridge differences and finalise a financial deal to help poorer countries combat climate change. As the summit nears its end, divisions remain over funding commitments and the role of the US.
Azerbaijan, host of the COP29 climate summit, urged participating countries on Friday to resolve their differences and reach a financial agreement as the two-week conference neared its conclusion.
Governments gathered in the Caspian Sea city of Baku are working towards a comprehensive deal that would see wealthy nations pledge to provide billions of dollars annually to assist poorer countries in addressing the escalating effects of climate change. Economists suggest that developing nations need at least $1 trillion each year by the end of the decade, but wealthier countries have yet to agree. The talks have also been complicated by uncertainty over the role of the United States, the world's largest historical greenhouse gas emitter, ahead of climate sceptic President-elect Donald Trump's return to the White House.
"We encourage parties to continue to collaborate within and across groups with the aim of proposing bridging proposals that will help us to finalise our work here in Baku," said the COP29 presidency in a note to delegates on Friday morning. It added that a new draft deal would be released at midday in Baku, with hopes for a resolution by the end of the day.
Past COPs have typically run over time, and divisions within the negotiations have already become evident. A new draft deal released on Thursday presented two vastly different options, neither of which satisfied all parties. While the 10-page document was shortened to less than half the size of previous drafts, it still left key questions unresolved, such as the total amount of funding countries should commit to each year, with that space marked simply with an "X." It also highlighted divisions over whether funds should be given as grants or loans, and the extent to which different forms of non-public finance should count towards the final annual target.
"I hope they find the sweet spot with this next iteration," said Li Shuo, director of the China Climate Hub at the Asia Society, a long-time observer of COP summits. "Anything other than that may require rescheduling flights."
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres returned to Baku from a G20 meeting in Brazil on Thursday, urging a major push for a deal and warning that "failure is not an option."
On Wednesday, Russia's Foreign Ministry called on Azerbaijan to return bilateral relations to the level of "strategic cooperation", warning that certa...
Vietnamese Deputy Minister of National Defence, Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien, and Italian Undersecretary of State for Defence, Matteo Pe...
Ground crews at KLM are set to strike for eight hours on 9 July unless the airline improves its wage offer, Dutch union CNV said Wednesday....
A Clean Energy Centre will be officially launched during the 17th Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) Summit, to be hosted by Azerbaijan this week...
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On Wednesday, Russia's Foreign Ministry called on Azerbaijan to return bilateral relations to the level of "strategic cooperation", warning that certain elements were attempting to undermine the long-standing partnership between the two nations.
Vietnamese Deputy Minister of National Defence, Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien, and Italian Undersecretary of State for Defence, Matteo Perego di Cremnago, co-chaired the 5th Vietnam–Italy Defence Policy Dialogue in Hanoi on July 2, as reported by VNA.
Ground crews at KLM are set to strike for eight hours on 9 July unless the airline improves its wage offer, Dutch union CNV said Wednesday.
Germany’s government has no current plans to acquire a stake in Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS), despite calls from labour unions, according to sources cited by Handelsblatt.
The U.S. economy faces a 40% risk of recession in the second half of 2025, JP Morgan analysts said on Wednesday, citing rising tariffs and stagflation concerns.
China has ramped up efforts to protect communities impacted by flood control measures, introducing stronger compensation policies and direct aid from the central government.
Severe rain in Venezuela has caused rivers to overflow and triggered landslides, sweeping away homes and collapsing a highway bridge, with five states affected and no casualties reported so far.
A malfunction in the radar transmission system at the Area Control Center in Milan suspended more than 300 flights at the weekend, across northwest Italy since Saturday evening according to Italy's air traffic controller Enav (National Agency for Flight Assistance).
The European Commission is set to propose allowing carbon credits from other countries to count towards the EU’s 2040 climate target, according to a leaked internal document.
Global temperatures in 2024 exceeded the crucial 1.5°C threshold above pre-industrial levels for the first time, marking a serious warning for the world’s climate goals under the Paris Agreement, scientists said.
Wildfires and a severe heatwave sweeping across Europe have claimed the lives of two people in Spain and another two in France, while also causing the shutdown of a nuclear reactor in Switzerland.
A Clean Energy Centre will be officially launched during the 17th Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) Summit, to be hosted by Azerbaijan this week, announced Asad M. Khan, Secretary General of the ECO.
The European Union plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 90% by 2040 and, for the first time, allow limited use of foreign carbon credits to meet the target.
Following a deadly glacier collapse in Blatten, near the Swiss Alpine village of Kandersteg, the town is on high alert as melting permafrost and shifting rock threaten another potential disaster after it was buried a month ago.
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