The United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29), which wrapped up last weekend, failed to make sufficient progress to maintain global temperatures at 1.5 degrees Celsius and avoid the worst impacts of climate change.
COP29 ended with a global climate finance target that developing countries said was inadequate to enable them to tackle climate change.
One of the final texts of the conference did not clearly mention the need to transition away from fossil fuels, as previously agreed upon last year in COP28’s key outcome document. No further progress was made on this crucial topic at COP29.
Frontline communities have long borne the brunt of the impacts of fossil fuel production and it is a human rights imperative to phase out all fossil fuels.
Host Azerbaijan’s president, Ilham Aliyev, stated during his opening remarks at the conference that fossil fuels were a “gift of God,” suggesting that fossil fuel-rich countries are entitled to expand production.
COP29 also adopted new carbon market rules intending to allow countries to meet their Paris Agreement commitments through carbon offsetting projects. However, the decision ignores a long history of such projects that have violated the land rights of rural communities and vastly overstated their climate benefits.
Azerbaijan’s crackdown on dissent limited meaningful participation of civil society during COP29. In the lead-up to the conference, authorities arrested dozens of journalists, human rights defenders, and other government critics on spurious charges.
Climate activists were unable to march outside of the official conference venue, as protests are restricted in Azerbaijan, and were instead asked to gather inside a conference room within the UN-run “blue zone.”
Chanting wasn’t allowed, so protesters hummed instead. Some participants I spoke to, including human rights defenders, activists, and journalists, acknowledged they censored themselves and avoided publicly criticizing the Azerbaijani government over fears of retaliation.
Such restrictions are unacceptable. Meaningful civil society participation and respect for basic rights and freedoms should be protected in climate negotiations, as they are essential for ensuring just and ambitious government actions to tackle the climate crisis.
Governments should urgently step up efforts to confront the climate crisis by submitting national emissions reduction targets by 2025 that are consistent with Paris Agreement goals.
They should also deliver concrete plans to transition away from coal, oil, and gas within a clear timeline.
(Human Rights Watch)
