Dubai Telegraph - US climate action won't end with Trump, envoy tells COP29

EUR -
AED 3.879921
AFN 70.774705
ALL 97.658441
AMD 409.488241
ANG 1.905213
AOA 963.376768
ARS 1054.320885
AUD 1.627536
AWG 1.901401
AZN 1.801486
BAM 1.943481
BBD 2.134372
BDT 126.319293
BGN 1.9558
BHD 0.398119
BIF 3061.256379
BMD 1.056334
BND 1.412811
BOB 7.304697
BRL 6.133815
BSD 1.057139
BTN 89.15023
BWP 14.343757
BYN 3.459372
BYR 20704.14942
BZD 2.130774
CAD 1.478319
CDF 3026.39715
CHF 0.935785
CLF 0.037514
CLP 1035.112444
CNY 7.631383
CNH 7.652882
COP 4731.320676
CRC 539.798787
CUC 1.056334
CUP 27.992855
CVE 110.756993
CZK 25.285045
DJF 187.73139
DKK 7.458754
DOP 63.776161
DZD 141.547711
EGP 52.10252
ERN 15.845012
ETB 128.925753
FJD 2.399199
FKP 0.831283
GBP 0.831356
GEL 2.884081
GGP 0.831283
GHS 17.012698
GIP 0.831283
GMD 74.999517
GNF 9116.163919
GTQ 8.168224
GYD 221.158132
HKD 8.219706
HNL 26.472039
HRK 7.535367
HTG 138.99552
HUF 407.89813
IDR 16738.565373
ILS 3.965716
IMP 0.831283
INR 89.179585
IQD 1384.325909
IRR 44463.742746
ISK 147.284729
JEP 0.831283
JMD 167.357086
JOD 0.749047
JPY 164.334965
KES 136.790508
KGS 91.061436
KHR 4278.153377
KMF 492.621303
KPW 950.700505
KRW 1481.899804
KWD 0.324971
KYD 0.880916
KZT 521.017397
LAK 23181.253406
LBP 94594.723681
LKR 308.961568
LRD 194.36531
LSL 19.278261
LTL 3.11908
LVL 0.638966
LYD 5.144042
MAD 10.518957
MDL 19.048258
MGA 4917.235703
MKD 61.531456
MMK 3430.932127
MNT 3589.423527
MOP 8.469315
MRU 42.121293
MUR 49.531301
MVR 16.320345
MWK 1833.795702
MXN 21.69129
MYR 4.711444
MZN 67.498546
NAD 19.277515
NGN 1771.95785
NIO 38.851914
NOK 11.767666
NPR 142.642227
NZD 1.796592
OMR 0.406667
PAB 1.057099
PEN 4.016129
PGK 4.156411
PHP 62.152628
PKR 293.713639
PLN 4.341243
PYG 8250.095155
QAR 3.845638
RON 4.975967
RSD 116.975311
RUB 104.047459
RWF 1441.89612
SAR 3.969228
SBD 8.855836
SCR 14.40717
SDG 635.387436
SEK 11.603515
SGD 1.418836
SHP 0.831283
SLE 24.100276
SLL 22150.800682
SOS 603.695541
SRD 37.267363
STD 21863.98426
SVC 9.24937
SYP 2654.071001
SZL 19.278362
THB 36.91096
TJS 11.263007
TMT 3.707733
TND 3.32481
TOP 2.474044
TRY 36.2854
TTD 7.183466
TWD 34.278574
TZS 2809.848602
UAH 43.672836
UGX 3879.409365
USD 1.056334
UYU 44.567497
UZS 13547.485199
VES 47.531547
VND 26772.789136
VUV 125.410144
WST 2.954552
XAF 651.855898
XAG 0.034887
XAU 0.000411
XCD 2.854796
XDR 0.796378
XOF 651.239726
XPF 119.331742
YER 263.875515
ZAR 19.259818
ZMK 9508.281216
ZMW 28.91707
ZWL 340.139167
  • RBGPF

    -0.8500

    59.34

    -1.43%

  • CMSD

    -0.0200

    24.73

    -0.08%

  • CMSC

    0.0700

    24.61

    +0.28%

  • SCS

    -0.3000

    13.37

    -2.24%

  • BCC

    1.4200

    142.55

    +1%

  • NGG

    -0.7800

    62.12

    -1.26%

  • BTI

    0.1800

    35.42

    +0.51%

  • BCE

    -0.4800

    27.21

    -1.76%

  • RELX

    -0.4700

    46.12

    -1.02%

  • GSK

    -0.4100

    35.11

    -1.17%

  • RIO

    -0.5800

    60.62

    -0.96%

  • AZN

    0.1000

    65.29

    +0.15%

  • JRI

    0.0200

    13.24

    +0.15%

  • RYCEF

    -0.0500

    7.11

    -0.7%

  • BP

    0.4100

    28.57

    +1.44%

  • VOD

    0.2800

    8.75

    +3.2%

US climate action won't end with Trump, envoy tells COP29
US climate action won't end with Trump, envoy tells COP29 / Photo: Alexander NEMENOV - AFP

US climate action won't end with Trump, envoy tells COP29

Washington's top climate envoy sought to reassure countries at the CO29 talks Monday that Donald Trump's re-election would not end US efforts to tackle global warming.

Text size:

Trump's sweep of the presidential vote has cast a long shadow over the crunch talks in Baku, with the incoming US leader pledging to withdraw Washington from the landmark Paris climate agreement.

The vote has left the US delegation somewhat hamstrung and stoked fears other countries could be less ambitious in a fractious debate on increasing climate funding for developing nations.

US envoy John Podesta acknowledged the next US administration would "try and take a U-turn" on climate action, but said that US cities, states and individual citizens would pick up the slack.

"While the United States federal government under Donald Trump may put climate change action on the back burner, the work to contain climate change is going to continue in the United States with commitment and passion and belief," he said.

"The fight is bigger than one election, one political cycle in one country."

The Baku talks opened earlier Monday with calls for global cooperation and fresh warnings about climate disasters.

UN climate chief Simon Stiell kicked talks off by urging countries to "show that global cooperation is not down for the count."

And he warned rich countries to "dispense with any idea that climate finance is charity."

"An ambitious new climate finance goal is entirely in the self-interest of every nation, including the largest and wealthiest."

- 'Climate debt' -

But proceedings in the capital of oil- and gas-rich Azerbaijan stalled almost immediately, with some countries insisting the application of last year's COP28 deal only be discussed within the framework of climate finance.

"They're not going to resume until they resolve... the agenda," said Alden Meyer, senior associate at climate change think tank E3G.

The COP29 president "can't put negotiating teams to work" until they adopt it, he added.

Negotiators must increase a $100 billion-a-year target to help developing nations prepare for worsening climate impacts and wean their economies off fossil fuels.

How much will be on offer, who will pay, and who can access the funds are some of the major points of contention.

COP29 President Mukhtar Babayev acknowledged the need was "in the trillions" but said a more "realistic goal" was somewhere in the hundreds of billions.

"These negotiations are complex and difficult," the former executive of Azerbaijan's national oil company said at the opening of the summit.

Developing countries warn that without adequate finance, they will struggle to offer ambitious updates to their climate goals, which countries are required to submit by early next year.

"The global North owes the global South a climate debt," said Tasneem Essop, executive director of Climate Action Network.

"We will not leave this COP if the ambition level on the finance... doesn't match the scale at which finance must be delivered."

- 'Great peril' -

The small group of developed countries that currently contributes the money wants the donor pool expanded to include other rich nations and top emitters, including China and the Gulf states, something firmly rejected by Beijing.

Just a handful of leaders from the Group of 20, whose countries account for nearly 80 percent of global emissions, are attending. US President Joe Biden is staying away.

Afghanistan is however present for the first time since the Taliban took power, as guests of the host Azerbaijan but not party to the talks.

The meeting comes after fresh warnings that the world is far off track to meet the goals of the Paris agreement.

The UN said Monday that 2024 is likely to break new temperature records, and the Paris climate agreement's goals were now "in great peril".

The period from 2015 to 2024 will also be the warmest decade ever recorded, the UN's World Meteorological Organization said in a new report.

The climate deal commits to keep warming below 2 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels, preferably below 1.5C.

If the world tops that level this year, it would not be an immediate breach of the Paris deal, which measures temperatures over decades.

But it suggests much greater climate action is needed.

Last month, the UN warned the world is on a path towards a catastrophic 3.1C of warming this century based on current actions.

More than 51,000 people are expected at COP29 talks, which run from November 11 to 22.

S.Mohideen--DT