Azerbaijan, COP29 Begins: Many Leaders Absent
Donald Trump's promise to pull out of Paris Agreement sparks controversy
The UN’s 2024 climate change conference began on November 11. Various world leaders are expected in Baku, Azerbaijan, the host country, but attendance is declining: according to the UN climate body, they have accredited about 51,000 participants, less than the number of participants at COP28 in Dubai.
And there are a lot of high level absences. European leaders Emmanuel Macron, Olaf Scholz, and Ursula von der Leyen will not be there. The leaders of the two most populous countries in the world will not be there: Xi Jinping and Narendra Modi, as well as Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who will be a guest at next year’s COP30 in Brazil. Russian President Vladimir Putin will not be at the event; the country’s delegation will be represented by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.
Outgoing US President Joe Biden won’t be there either, but there is much discussion about the position of newly elected Donald Trump, who would like to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement: at least that’s what the tycoon promised during the campaign, explaining that it would be one of the first things he would do when he actually took office. The Wall Street Journal explains that the measure has already been finalized and is ready to be signed. The Paris Agreement was signed in 2015 and includes a global commitment to limit global warming to two degrees Celsius. Iran, Yemen, and Libya have already been left out of the agreement.
The conference will take place at the end of 2024, a year that, following the trend of the first 10 months, could be the hottest ever recorded: the average surface temperature between January and September will be 1.54 degrees above pre-industrial levels.
At the opening of COP29, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres explained: “Those desperate to delay and deny the inevitable end of the fossil fuel era are trying to turn clean energy into a swear word. They will lose. The economy is against them. Solutions have never been cheaper or more accessible.”
Pope Francis on Sunday, November 10, in The Angelus Prayer of the Lord recalled: “Three years ago, the Laudato si’ (Praise You – ed.) action platform was launched. I thank those who are working in support of this initiative, and in this regard I hope that the COP29 climate change conference starting tomorrow in Baku will make an effective contribution to the defense of our common home.”
