Jasmin Jessen’s Post

🌍 Experts including former UN Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon, former UN climate chief Christiana Figueres, and former president of Ireland Mary Robinson are calling for an overhaul of the UN's COP climate talks. They claim the format is "no longer fit for purpose." 🚫 📝 In a letter to the UN, these key figures proposed that countries which don't support transitioning away from fossil fuels shouldn't host the talks. ❗ The recent COP29 conference in Azerbaijan came under scrutiny when its president defended natural gas as a “gift from God,” and a senior official reportedly used his role in the conference to discuss potential fossil fuel agreements. 🐢 Despite strides like the Paris climate agreement and the commitment to transition from fossil fuels, the slow-moving COP process is insufficient to tackle the swift climate changes we're facing, they claim. "Its current structure simply cannot deliver the change at exponential speed and scale, which is essential to ensure a safe climate landing for humanity," they added. 📣 Concerns were expressed about decisions being made by large emission countries in forums such as the G20, risking that smaller states might be overshadowed and excluded from important climate discussions. 🏭 There were also concerns about the countries chosen to host the COP talks - the hosts should demonstrate their “high level of ambition to uphold the goals of the Paris agreement," according to the experts' open letter. 🔎 #ClimateChange #COP #UN #FossilFuelPhaseOut #ParisAgreement #COP29 https://lnkd.in/eZFX64XA

BAKU: A group of former leaders and climate experts have said the annual UN COP climate talks are no longer fit for purpose and needed to be reformed, publishing a critical open letter mid-way through what has so far been a fractious summit.letter. The letter signed by former leaders and scientists, including former UNFCCC boss Christiana Figueres and former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, said the COP process had achieved much, but now needed an overhaul. "It is now clear that the COP is no longer fit for purpose. Its current structure simply cannot deliver the change at exponential speed and scale, which is essential to ensure a safe climate landing for humanity," the letter said. "This is what compels our call for a fundamental overhaul of the COP. We need a shift from negotiation to implementation, enabling the COP to deliver on agreed commitments and ensure the urgent energy transition and phase-out of fossil energy." Will anyone listen? https://lnkd.in/dzaXvqtX

This is an important read, and fosters a critical question, how will the current UN session in Baku seek to align travel and tourism GHG reporting to the global Paris Agreement system, the NDCs? Is this going to be affected by the breakdown of the COP system? If so, how will our travel and tourism economy system effectively seek compliance? Let’s not continue to cry out for lowering emissions without creating and preparing for an effective, unified system of verified reporting which is monitored at the regional and country level. We can do it! It is difficult. It does not yet exist. While we at Cornell STAMP cannot attend Baku, we are preparing to create a high level report response to these questions in the next year, if all goes as planned!

At the third COP in a row being held in a country that is openly expanding fossil fuel production and does not respect human rights, the climate community is getting weary of having to deal with the fallout. There are growing calls to end the conflicts of interest that stand in the way of a green transition and dampen down the outcomes of the UN climate summits - from banning fossil fuel lobbyists to excluding countries that aren't phasing out coal, oil and gas from hosting the COP. More in the Climate Home News daily bulletin from Baku.

COP has become increasingly popular in the last few years. We have seen an increase in participation from young people and marginalized communities, however we have also seen an increase in fossil fuel lobbyists. In the midst of #COP29 negotiations, a group of climate experts and leaders published an open letter saying that COPs were "no longer fit for purpose. Its current structure simply cannot deliver the change at exponential speed and scale, which is essential to ensure a safe climate landing for humanity." The letter further said, "this is what compels our call for a fundamental overhaul of the COP. We need a shift from negotiation to implementation, enabling the COP to deliver on agreed commitments and ensure the urgent energy transition and phase-out of fossil energy." What do you think? Have COPs outlived their purpose or is there some value left to be found in them?

My Reaction to the COP29 Outcome “At COP29, developed nations once again coerced developing countries into accepting a financial deal woefully inadequate to address the gravity of our global climate crisis. The deal fails to provide the critical support required for developing countries to transition swiftly from fossil fuels to clean, renewable energy systems, or to prepare for the devastating impacts of the climate crisis, leaving them severely under-resourced. “The outcome offers false hope to those already bearing the brunt of climate disasters and abandons vulnerable communities and nations, leaving them to face these immense challenges alone. We must persist in our fight, demanding a significant increase in financing and holding developed countries to account for delivering real, impactful actions.” Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative #COP29 #PayUp #ClimateFinance #ClimateFinanceNow #JustTransition #ClimateJustice #ClimateEmergency #ClimateCrisis #LossAndDamage #HumanRights #FossilFuels #FossilFuelTreaty

It might seem long to go, but #COP29 is arriving soon, and one of the key topics will be the new proposal to levy fossil fuels to generate funds for climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts, particularly in vulnerable countries. Key Points of the Proposal: 🛢 Levy on Fossil Fuels: A proposed tax on fossil fuel extraction in wealthy OECD countries could raise $720 billion by the end of the decade. This tax would start at $5 per ton of carbon pollution and increase annually. 💰 Funding Allocation: About 80% of the collected funds would support the Loss and Damage Fund, aiding vulnerable nations impacted by climate-related disasters. The remaining funds would help with domestic climate transition efforts within the wealthiest nations. Benefits: 💹 Enhanced Climate Finance: This levy aims to address significant funding gaps, ensuring sufficient resources for climate adaptation and mitigation. 🤝 Promoting Accountability: By taxing fossil fuel companies, the proposal aligns financial responsibility with historical pollution levels, particularly in developed nations. 🛩 Accelerating Green Transition: The raised funds could expedite the global shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources, supporting international climate goals. As we approach COP29, it's crucial to consider how such measures can provide the necessary financial support to combat climate change and help vulnerable communities adapt to its impacts. Check for more details > https://lnkd.in/eVhUivaV #ClimateAction #COP29 #SustainableFinance #ClimateChange #GreenEnergy

As the saying goes, the inmates are running the asylum. A year on from COP28, promises to “transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems" continued with representatives from hosts Azerbaijan allegedly using COP29 to broker fossil fuel deals. And the promises were empty in the first place; reports 12 months on indicate that gas emissions increased by 1% instead of falling despite the 'transition away'. When there is no mechanism of accountability in place, when leaders choose to prioritise GDP-focused G20 over a climate emergency, when the numbers show that we are getting further away from the targets set year by year when we should be getting closer. It's time to start asking when does COP become a greenwashing exercise.

Here's our #COP29 day 2 summary! - Azerbaijan’s Aliyev doubles down on fossil fuels. He lashed out fiercely at his critics, doubled down on fossil fuels and failed to announce an expected new national climate plan (NDC). He also denied that Azerbaijan is a “petrostate” and said American “fake news media” should look at their own country, the world’s biggest oil and gas producer. - British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced a new emissions reduction target of 81% by 2035 from 1990 levels – the figure recommended by official advisers in the UK’s Climate Change Committee (CCC). - After months of preliminary negotiations, in mid-October the co-chairs of talks on a new post-2025 climate finance goal (known as the NCQG) produced a nine-page document which they thought would serve as a good starting point for COP29. There has been a lot of debate on this. - The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) and 13 partner organisations have published a report mapping the links between climate change, conflict and forced displacement. Read the full summary here 👇