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COP29 starts as it will probably go on – with protests over Israel and fossil fuel lobbying

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Charles III

Donald Trump

Elon Musk

Joe Biden

Nancy Pelosi

Xi Jinping

Rishi Sunak

Kamala Harris

Justin Trudeau

Narendra Modi

Bill Gates

Pope Francis

Janet Yellen

Emmanuel Macron

Olaf Scholz

Angela Merkel

Yuval Noah Harari

António Guterres

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Barack Obama

Kofi Annan

Michael Mann

James Inhofe

Greta Thunberg

David Attenborough

Giorgia Meloni

Patrick Michaels

Jane Goodall

Bjorn Lomborg

Freeman Dyson

Metaculus

"[C]limate change is just a very, very expensive form of tax."

"I believe in climate change caused by human beings. What I'm skeptical about is the glib notion that it means the end of the world as we know it."

"The clock is no longer just ticking, it is banging."

"There is no long-term prosperity without action on climate change."

"The time for seeking global solutions [to climate change] is running out."

"The climate crisis is the existential threat. That's not hyperbole; it's a fact."

"[W]e are killing our planet."

Climate change is "above all, an existential crisis."

"Climate change is one of the greatest challenges mankind faces."

"If we don't take action, the collapse of our civilisations and the extinction of much of the natural world is on the horizon."

"Humanity is on thin ice — and that ice is melting fast."

"We haven't yet exceeded the bounds of viable human civilisation, but we're getting close."

Is Climate Change an Existential Threat?

Key climate experts and leaders, including former UN chief Ban Ki-moon and climate scientist Johan Rockström, believe the annual Conferences of the Parties (COP) summits need an overhaul. They've said that these talks are "no longer fit for purpose."

Morningstaronline

The climate-watchers have written an open letter to the UN seeking more transparency and more restrictions on fossil fuel lobbying, insisting that host nations must back phasing out fossil fuels. The letter said the summit's “current structure simply cannot deliver.”

NewsCop

This follows reports that an official of the Azerbaijan government, the host of COP29 in session this week, discussed fossil fuel deals on the Baku summit's sideline. Earlier, defending the emissions by his country, Pres. Ilham Aliyev said oil and gas were a "gift of god."

BBC News

Experts have reportedly doubted the possibility of making any real progress in emissions cut given the various conflicts of interest involved, and pointed to the summit's unwieldy size. They also emphasized that smaller nations and  indigenous groups often get overshadowed.

Inside Climate News

A report by the Kick Big Polluters Out coalition of environment groups had claimed that over 1.7K fossil fuel lobbyists had access to COP29, outnumbering almost every participant nation's delegation. The 10 most climate-vulnerable nations had a little over 1K delegates in all.

COP29 has reportedly faced other problems, too, such a low attendance by key powers and diplomatic snafu. Paris withdrew from the summit after Azerbaijan alleged colonial crimes by France and pointed to its nuclear tests and human rights violations in its overseas territories.

Experts Says World Climate Talks Need a Major Overhaul

Experts Says World Climate Talks Need a Major Overhaul

The Controversies

Trump

Michaels

Harris

Sunak

Francis

Biden

Macron

Thunberg

Merkel

Attenborough

Guterres

Mann

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Experts Says World Climate Talks Need a Major Overhaul

Experts Says World Climate Talks Need a Major Overhaul

The Controversies

Trump

Michaels

Harris

Sunak

Francis

Biden

Macron

Thunberg

Merkel

Attenborough

Guterres

Mann

Articles on this story

Sign Up for Our Free NewslettersSign Up for Our Free Newsletters

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