GettyMain specialists, together with a former UN secretary-general and a former UN local weather chief, say UN COP local weather talks are “now not match for function” and wish pressing reform.
Senior figures mentioned in a letter to the United Nations that international locations shouldn’t host the talks if they don’t assist phasing out fossil vitality.
Azerbaijan’s president advised world leaders gathered in Azerbaijan this week for the twenty ninth Convention of the Events that pure gasoline is “a present from God” and that he shouldn’t be blamed for bringing it to market.
Days earlier, the BBC reported {that a} senior Azerbaijani official appeared to have used his place on the Convention of the Events to rearrange a gathering to debate a possible fossil gas deal.
UN local weather talks have made important progress lately, though motion requires the unanimous consent of practically 200 international locations.
this Paris climate agreementThe settlement signed in 2015 outlines a long-term plan to manage rising temperatures, as international locations attempt to restrict temperature rise this century to 1.5 levels Celsius.
Additionally they agreed to maneuver away from fossil fuels within the vitality system and triple renewable vitality era by 2030.
Nevertheless, whereas the letter’s authors acknowledge these achievements, they argue that the slow-moving COP course of is “now not appropriate” to deal with the quickly evolving local weather disaster.
“Its present construction merely can’t ship the change on the exponential velocity and scale that’s important to making sure a secure local weather touchdown for humanity,” mentioned its signatories, who embrace former UN Secretary-Basic Ban Ki-moon, former UN local weather change chief Christine Figueres and former Irish President Mary Robinson.
This 12 months is prone to be hottest on recordthe gasoline emissions that trigger world warming are nonetheless rising, and the affect of warming typically exceeds the power of nations to manage.
“The planet is in a important state,” mentioned chief local weather scientist Johan Rockström, one other signatory.
Professor Rockström mentioned: “There may be nonetheless an opportunity of a secure touchdown for people, however this may require a world local weather coverage course of that may ship change at exponential velocity and scale.”
Getty PhotosThe letter comes amid rising issues about a few of the international locations chosen to host the COP and their skill to make important progress in combating rising temperatures.
Simply earlier than the newest assembly started, a secret recording confirmed Elnur Soltanov, chief government of Azerbaijan’s COP29 staff, discussing the state-run oil and gasoline firm with a person posing as a possible investor. “Funding Alternatives”.
Firstly of COP29, the nation’s authoritarian chief Ilham Aliyev defended Azerbaijan’s present gasoline exports and deliberate to increase manufacturing by a 3rd over the subsequent decade.
“This is a gift from God,” he told the audience in Baku.
“Each pure useful resource, whether or not it is oil, pure gasoline, wind vitality, daylight, gold, silver, copper, is a pure useful resource,” he mentioned.
“The state shouldn’t be blamed for proudly owning these sources and it shouldn’t be blamed for bringing these sources to the market as a result of the market wants them and the individuals want them.”
The usage of oil and pure gasoline is a significant trigger of world warming as a result of when burned they launch planet-warming gases corresponding to carbon dioxide.
President Aliyev additionally slammed France for committing colonial “crimes” and “violations of human rights” in its abroad territories.
This can be very uncommon for leaders of host international locations to specific such sturdy views on the COP, which goals to construct consensus on how one can fight rising temperatures.
The letter’s authors additionally expressed issues concerning the choice course of for the host of the COP. Azerbaijan follows within the footsteps of the United Arab Emirates, one other main oil producer, which held the assembly in Dubai final 12 months.
“On the final COP, fossil gas lobbyists outnumbered representatives of scientific establishments, indigenous communities and fragile international locations,” mentioned former UN local weather chief Cristina Figueres.
“We can’t hope for a simply transition with out important reform of the COP course of to make sure that essentially the most affected teams are pretty represented.”
Host international locations “should show their ambition to uphold the targets of the Paris Settlement,” the authors mentioned.
Additionally they need smaller, extra frequent conferences of the events with clear accountability for the commitments made by international locations.
