CLIMATE CHALLENGESThinking the Unthinkable at COP29
We shouldn’t need to be thinking of future global temperatures well in excess of 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, where the wildfires, droughts, flooding and other extreme weather effects of climate change are expected to become catastrophic. But alas the consequences of burning all those fossil fuels for energy and the feeble progress towards cutting emissions means that is where we are heading at the moment. Has the time come to consider climate repair as a necessary measure?
As I stepped onto the plane from Baku on my way back to Cambridge after a week at COP29, I reflected on the question posed to me by a fellow passenger: “Was it worth going?”
This was a difficult question after remarks from COP29 host, Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev, that oil and gas are a “gift of God” and saying nations “should not be blamed” for having fossil fuel reserves (with the seemingly implicit reference to continued use of them especially given news about meetings being arranged to discuss potential fossil fuel deals).
By contrast, the UN Secretary-General said at this key annual global climate summit that 2024 has been “a masterclass in human destruction”, as he reflected on extreme weather and record rises in temperatures across the planet again this year.
We shouldn’t need to be thinking of future global temperatures well in excess of 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, where the wildfires, droughts, flooding and other extreme weather effects of climate change are expected to become catastrophic.
But alas the consequences of burning all those fossil fuels for energy and the feeble progress towards cutting emissions means that is where we are heading at the moment.
Beyond Emissions Control
Many of those who I met in the Blue Zone, where negotiations take place and where country and NGO-themed pavilions host panels and discussions, were of the view that we are now well beyond the point of being able to rely on emissions reduction alone to keep temperatures below 2 degrees.
We need to get our heads around other options.
This was a key topic amongst the scientists and representatives of non-governmental organizations I met in the Zone, where I hosted an event in the Ocean pavilion.
On Day 1, I ventured to different country pavilions and listened to earnest discussions on the action needed.
But I found it quite challenging seeing pavilions such as those on Natural Gas for Sustainable Development.
I fully understand that a transition to a green economy needs to be a just one. There has to be a pathway which ensures the needs of people today are met whilst ensuring the needs of those tomorrow are safeguarded.
But I can’t see how a continued expansion in the use of fossil fuels features in this regard.
