As the dust settles after COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, IIED’s executive director Tom Mitchell reflects on a ‘squandered opportunity’ to address the climate emergency and calls for reform of the COP process, to ensure adaptation and loss and damage finance reach those who most need it.COP29 in Baku will be remembered as a squandered opportunity to turn promises of climate action into reality. Despite being framed as the 'Finance COP', the outcomes reveal a deepening chasm between rhetoric and action.
The failure of wealthier nations to provide meaningful adaptation finance or pathways to resilience for the most climate-vulnerable countries is devastating, especially when action on emissions has fallen short and the price tag of dealing with the impacts is rising steeply.
Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State has called on world leaders to recommit to immediate action to stem the mounting negative consequences of climate change, listing several steps the subnational state of Osun has taken on the subject.
Addressing COP29 side event in Baku, Azerbaijan, the Governor represented by the state's consultant on Climate Change and Renewable Energy, Prof Chinwe Obuaku recalled the various technical reports from several credible agencies which pointed to a heightening negative impact of climate change, noting that the time is now for remediation, adaptation and resilience actions to save the planet.
