COP 29 Underway in Baku, Azerbaijan

As people of faith, we understand the climate crisis as a moral crisis that demands a moral response – rooted in our values of stewardship and justice. Our United Methodist social teachings call us “to chart a new path rooted in economic and ecological justice” and to “advocate for a fair, ambitious, and binding international agreement to address climate change.” Book of Resolutions #1035: Climate Change and the Church’s Response

COP29 started in Baku, Azerbaijan on Monday, November 11, 2024. The conference began with COP28 president, Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, offering reflections on COP28 (last year, in Dubai, UAE).

Dr. Al Jaber reflected on the historic decisions made at COP28, including funding the Loss and Damage fund as well as naming a transition away from fossil fuels in the official documents.

Dr. Al Jaber then passed the gavel to the COP29 president, H.E. Mukhtar Babayev, from Azerbaijan. President Babayev reminded us of the significant work that remains to be done. He noted that in a business-as-usual scenario, we are on track for a catastrophic 3 Celsius degree warming of the planet. He stressed the important role of climate finance in mitigating climate-harming emissions and called for a just and orderly transition away from fossil fuels.

The climate finance conversation at this year’s COP centers on the “New Collective Quantified Goal,” (NCQG) a new, more ambitious goal for financial support made available to developing countries by developed countries. The original goal was set at the time of the Paris Agreement at $100 Billion (US) per year. New analysis indicates the need is as much as $2 Trillion (US)/year. Climate advocates hope to increase the climate finance goal to reflect the actual need.

The Rev. Dr. Becca Edwards is the Climate Action Fellow at Texas Impact and the United Methodist Climate and Energy Fellow at General Board of Church and Society