 to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change is taking place in Baku, Azerbaijan up to 22 November 2024.){kind=link}
With global temperatures hitting record highs, and extreme weather events affecting people around the globe; Twelve-Day 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change is taking place in Baku, Azerbaijan up to 22 November 2024.
It has brought together leaders from governments, business and civil society to advance concrete solutions to the defining issue of the present time. It is an investing in a livable planet for all. It is a pivotal opportunity to accelerate action to tackle the climate crisis.
A key focus of COP29 is on finance, as trillions of dollars are required for countries to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect lives and livelihoods from the worsening impacts of climate change.
The conference is also to prove as a key moment for countries to present their updated national climate action plans under the Paris agreement, which are due by early 2025. If done right, these plans would limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels and double as investment plans advancing the Sustainable Development Goals.
Why Global Cooperation matters?
The UN Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Climate Action, Selwin Hart, explains why we need all countries to continue to work together to solve the challenges of the climate crisis, and how global frameworks like the UN Climate Conferences give voice to the powerless and help advance ambition and action.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on the first day that leaders gathered in Baku for the COP29 Climate Action Summit must take immediate steps to cut emissions, safeguard people from climate chaos, and “tear down the walls to climate finance” in response to the “masterclass in climate destruction” that the world has witnessed in 2024. He called for countries to step up contributions to a financial mechanism to assist developing countries affected by climate change.
COP29 talks in Baku on the next day turned to small island nations facing an existential threat from present warming planet. UN Secretary-General insisted that they “deserve support to deal with a crisis”. Talks also turned to the pressing issue of how to manage the demand for minerals essential to producing electric vehicles and solar panels without triggering a “stampede of greed” that exploits local communities and crushes the poor.
Indifference is An Accomplice to Injustice
Addressing COP29 on behalf of Pope Francis and the Holy See, Cardinal Pietro Parolin urges urgent climate action, linking environmental protection to peace, justice, and global solidarity, and warning that indifference enables injustice.
Representing the Holy See at COP29, Cardinal Parolin stressed that “the scientific data available to us do not allow any further delay and make it clear that the preservation of creation is one of the most urgent issues of present time and we have to recognize that it is closely interrelated with the preservation of peace”.
Selfishness of Individuals and Groups
The Cardinal Secretary of State emphasized that COP29 takes in a context conditioned by “growing disillusionment with multilateral institutions and dangerous tendencies to build walls”. He described the selfishness, both individual and that of power groups, as feeding a climate of mistrust and division.
Cardinal Parolin warned that the globalization that brings us closer to one another has not managed to make us feel like brothers and sisters. “Economic development has not reduced inequality”, he stressed. “On the contrary, it has favored the prioritization of profit and special interests at the expense of the protection of the weakest, and has contributed to the progressive worsening of environmental problems”.
This trend, he continued, must be reversed, and to do so – to create a culture of respect for life and the dignity of the human person – “it is necessary to understand that the harmful consequences of lifestyles affect everyone”.
The Danger of Ecological and Foreign Debt
Cardinal Parolin also stressed that efforts should be made to find solutions that do not further undermine the development and adaptive capacity of many countries that are already burdened with crippling economic debt. “When discussing climate finance, it is important to remember that ecological debt and foreign debt are two sides of the same coin, mortgaging the future”.
In light of this, the Cardinal reiterated Pope Francis’ appeal, in which he asked more affluent nations to “forgive the debts of countries that will never be able to repay them”. He recalled the Pope’s words when he said that “more than a question of generosity, this is a matter of justice”. He appealed for a new, human-focused global financial system that supports equitable, sustainable development, especially for vulnerable nations and called on COP29 to drive political will toward inclusive growth.
One Cannot Pass by and Look the Other Way
In this endeavor, Cardinal Parolin reiterated the dedication of the Holy See, “especially in the field of integral ecology, education and in raising awareness of the environmental as a human and social problem on any number of levels.” We cannot “pass by and look the other way”, he said, before warning that “indifference is an accomplice to injustice”.
The Cardinal Secretary of State appealed to all those present to ask themselves: “What can I do? How can I contribute?”
“There is no time for indifference today”, he said, “we cannot wash our hands of it, with distance, with carelessness or with disinterest.” And this “is the real challenge of our century.”
It is to be noted well that while all people have inherent human rights to live and thrive, the lack of resources to limit and adjust to the impacts of climate change is pushing a decent life and even survival beyond reach for many. That’s a stark injustice, compounded by the fact that countries and communities with the most limited means are mostly those who have contributed little to causing climate change. Most greenhouse gas emissions have come from wealthier countries. Poorer nations, with fewer factories and cars and household appliances burning fossil fuels, have historically emitted only a small share of the total.
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