Being part of the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP) of the UNFCCC was an absolute honor for us as GCEs. Witnessing the clever arguments and negotiations of 197 countries under one huge roof is clearly an experience of a lifetime. Not only the high-profile negotiations, but also the side events associated with pavilions of different countries and many special events, press conferences are indeed eye-catching. Our experience in the very first week of the giant summit was honestly beyond our expectations.
The host country this time was Azerbaijan, and by default, the delegate management, public transportation, security, communication was highly controlled by the administration. For the convenience of foreigners, hundreds of English-speaking volunteers were deployed, which was much appreciated.
Outcomes from the first week
The first week usually serves as an icebreaker for the second week of the COP. The main inputs for the final outcomes and the “all agree” state are created in the second week. As we both have the luck to participate in the 1st week of the COP, we will present some important recap of the COP 29 week 1.
Please keep an eye on another blog by Hannah & Anna for an overview of the final outcomes of the 29th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29).
- Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs):
- Several countries’ ministries have announced their next targets and achievements for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. While some sounded very lucrative and overwhelming, many states are starting their journey from the ground up. The United Kingdom announced to reduce 81% of their emissions, while Indonesia introduced their new reduction plan that they’re ready to implement from 2025.
- Article 6 (always controversial):
- The biggest progress was made in week 2, but the start of the COP with the presidency leaning more toward optimizing Article 6 of the Paris Agreement and its fast-tracking is drawing widespread criticism.
- Climate finance:
- the new collective unified goal (NCG) was released in the first week, recognizing indigenous peoples’ climate stokeholds with benefits with biodiversity, land and sustainable development. The technicality was not beyond the disagreement, whether the technicality and structure of the goals are realistic and in what scale had remained for the following week of negotiations.
- Energy pledges:
- At the end of the week, the COP presidency lunched on two energy pledges in an effort to boost the negotiations that have dragged on from the COP28 energy package.
- Global Energy Storage and Grids Pledge: Aims to expand global energy storage to 1500 GW by 2030 and improve grids, which are critical to tripling renewables and decarbonizing electricity.
- Green Energy Zones and Corridors Pledge: Promotes regional and international cooperation on renewable energy and electricity infrastructure, but must not be used to expand gas infrastructure.
- Hydrogen Declaration: Aims to boost the global clean hydrogen market with a focus on low-cost green hydrogen, which is critical for industrial decarbonization without delaying the phase-out of fossil fuels.
- At the end of the week, the COP presidency lunched on two energy pledges in an effort to boost the negotiations that have dragged on from the COP28 energy package.
In a nutshell:
Too many cooks spoil the broth
The 29th summit of 197 countries cannot take place without major disagreements and setbacks. For example, the new target of mobilizing 300 billion US dollars by 2035 does not seem satisfactory for developing countries in terms of climate finance. In addition, the reduction of fossil fuel subsidies was not addressed at this COP. Re-evolution of the Lima work project and more gender mainstreaming strategies are needed.
Path towards Belem, COP30:
The drawbacks directed and indeed highlighted new issues that need to focus on the next COP in Brazil!
For instance, global energy storage and grids: Continue the commitment to expand global energy storage to 1500GW by 2030 and improve grids, which are critical to tripling renewables and decarbonizing energy.
Green energy zones and corridors: Promoting regional and international cooperation on renewables and electricity infrastructure, while ensuring that gas infrastructure expansion is curbed.
On the other hand, on our opinion the next COP should focus on the implementation of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, including the development and approval of crediting methodologies to ensure the integrity and transparency of carbon markets.
GCEs Personal Experience:
HAMMAD: Attending COP29 in Baku as a Master’s student in Global Change Ecology was eye-opening. The high-level negotiations in the Blue Zone provided a behind-the-scenes look at climate policy development. Navigating this fast-paced environment was both fascinating and overwhelming. Conversely, the Green Zone was more accessible, with interactive exhibits and panel discussions on grassroots climate action and technological advances. A highlight was networking with scientists, policymakers, and activists, especially at the Pakistan Pavilion, where I discussed my country’s climate resilience efforts. An outstanding event was a roundtable discussion at the Action on Food Pavilion with farmer representatives, members of Save Soil, and experts from the Ocean Pavilion. It highlighted the need for policies that link agriculture and ocean conservation, ensuring food security while protecting natural resources. Including farmers in climate discussions is crucial, as they bear the brunt of climate impacts.
WRISHAV: In spite of all the administration and the series of multiple events at the COP, I personally got overwhelmed at first, but at the same time I enjoyed the whole 4 days more and more as I got used to it. My first day was very smooth thanks to my colleague Hammad and his effort to describe the different venues to me as he has previous experience. Later, I found myself very excited about the side events in the pavilions. In fact, it was an honor to participate in several group discussions with many scientists and experienced scholars and to listen to their perspectives at the same time. The side event discussions are an absolute place to discover your interest and network with many scientists after the event is over. The negotiations were hard to follow, but watching some of the most controversial paragraphs, i.e. Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, being created and modified in the specific way under the guidance of the think tanks of the countries is exciting. I highly doubt my perspective on the processes of these big agreements if I couldn’t watch this.
I am a Master's student in Global Change Ecology at Universität Bayreuth, building on my background in Agriculture with a focus on Plant Breeding and Genetics from the University of Agriculture Faisalabad.
My academic interests revolve around sustainable agriculture, land-use dynamics, and the impacts of climate change on ecosystems. I am particularly keen on exploring ecological modeling and policy-driven approaches to environmental sustainability. Through my studies, I aim to contribute to climate-smart agriculture and biodiversity conservation.
thank you