Main specialists, together with a former UN secretary-general and former UN local weather chief, have stated the UN’s COP local weather talks are “now not match for objective” and must be changed urgently.
In a letter to the United Nations, senior figures say international locations mustn’t host talks if they don’t help a fossil vitality phase-out.
This week the Azerbaijani president instructed world leaders gathered in his nation for COP29 that pure fuel was “a present from God” and he shouldn’t be blamed for bringing it to market.
It got here days after the BBC reported {that a} senior Azerbaijani official had used his position on the COP to rearrange a gathering to debate potential fossil gas offers.
The United Nations local weather talks have made important progress in recent times, even if motion requires unanimity in practically 200 international locations.
The Paris climate agreementSigned in 2015, it outlines a long-term plan to rein in rising temperatures, as international locations attempt to maintain the rise beneath 1.5C this century.
Additionally they agreed to transition vitality techniques away from fossil fuels and triple renewable energy by 2030.
However whereas the authors of this letter acknowledge these achievements, they really feel that the slow-moving COP course of is “now not match for objective” to cope with a quickly escalating local weather disaster.
“Its present framework can not ship change on the exponential velocity and scale obligatory to make sure a protected local weather transition for humanity,” its signatories stated. These embrace former UN Secretary Normal Ban-Ki Moon, former UN local weather chief Christiana Figueres and former Irish President Mary Robinson.
This yr will possible be Hottest on recordThe planet remains to be burdened with greenhouse fuel emissions, whereas the results of warming usually outpace international locations’ capacity to manage.
“Planet Earth is in a crucial state,” stated main local weather scientist Johan Rockström, one other signatory.
“There may be nonetheless a window of alternative for a protected touchdown for humanity, however this requires a world local weather coverage course of that may ship change at exponential velocity and scale,” Professor Rockström stated.
Getty PicturesThe letter is prompted by rising issues about a number of the international locations chosen to host the COP talks and their capacity to ship important progress within the struggle in opposition to rising temperatures.
Simply earlier than the beginning of the most recent convention, a secret recording confirmed the chief govt of Azerbaijan’s COP29 workforce, Elnur Soltanov, discussing “funding alternatives” within the state-owned oil and fuel firm with a person posing as a possible investor. was
In the beginning of COP29, the nation’s authoritarian chief, Ilham Aliyev, defended Azerbaijan’s present exports of fuel and plans to extend manufacturing by a 3rd over the subsequent decade.
“This is a gift from God,” he told an audience in Baku.
“Each pure useful resource whether or not it is oil, fuel, wind, solar, gold, silver, copper, all pure sources,” he stated.
“And international locations should not be blamed for having them and bringing these sources to market as a result of the market wants them, the folks want them.”
Oil and fuel use are main causes of worldwide warming, as a result of after they burn they launch planet-warming gases like carbon dioxide.
President Aliyev additionally attacked France for committing colonial “crimes” and “human rights violations” in overseas territories.
Not often have views been expressed so forcefully by the chief of a COP host, the place the intention is to construct consensus on the way to cope with rising temperatures.
The authors of the letter are additionally involved in regards to the choice course of for internet hosting COPs. Azerbaijan adopted one other main oil producer, the United Arab Emirates, which held the convention in Dubai final yr.
“On the final COP, fossil gas lobbyists outnumbered representatives of scientific establishments, indigenous communities and susceptible international locations,” stated former UN local weather chief Christiana Figueres.
“We can not hope to realize a simply transition with out important reforms to the COP course of that guarantee truthful illustration of these most affected.”
The authors say that host international locations “should exhibit their excessive stage of ambition to uphold the targets of the Paris Settlement.”
Additionally they need shorter, extra frequent COPs with clearer accountability for nation commitments.
