World Leaders Drive Climate Action at Historic Baku Summit Meeting
During a session on freshwater conservation, Eric Oyare, WWF Blue Heart of Africa Lead, highlighted the critical role of freshwater ecosystems in climate resilience.
BAKU, Azerbaijan — World leaders gathered today at COP29's Climate Action Summit in Baku to address urgent climate finance needs and emission reduction targets, amid growing pressure from developing nations following a year of extreme weather events, writes Winston Mwale.
IPCC Chair Jim Skea set a stark tone for the proceedings in the Azerbaijani capital, warning that "If we delay more ambitious action to 2030 ... Even limiting warming to 2 °C is at risk."
He emphasized that while society has "the know-how, tools, and financial resources to avoid the worst consequences of climate change," policy implementation needs acceleration.
In a significant development, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced an ambitious target to reduce emissions by 81% from 1990 levels by 2035.
The plan includes a £200m "clean industry bonus" for offshore wind companies to establish factories in former oil and gas regions.
"Announcing a new climate target for 2035 at COP29 provides a timely signal, showing that the UK is willing to be a global leader on climate," said Tanya Steele, chief executive at WWF.
"The target is a welcome indication that the new UK government recognises the urgency of reducing emissions."
The Baku summit, attended by approximately 100 Heads of State, also saw major commitments from Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs), which pledged to provide an estimated USD 120 billion annually for climate finance to low- and middle-income countries by 2030.
Republic of Congo's President Denis Sassou Nguesso emphasized that climate finance "must be based on scientific data that takes into account the impact and needs of developing countries in tackling climate change."
During a session on freshwater conservation, Eric Oyare, WWF Blue Heart of Africa Lead, highlighted the critical role of freshwater ecosystems in climate resilience.
"The Freshwater Challenge, a country-led initiative to restore 300,000 km of degraded rivers and 350 million hectares of wetlands by 2030, is a call for decisive action to protect these lifelines," he said.
Several key global leaders were notably absent from the Baku gathering due to domestic issues, health concerns, or political shifts, potentially impacting the scope of immediate commitments achieved during the summit.