What happened at COP29 in Baku?

Ahead of the critical COP negotiations, mayors had a strong message for world leaders: national governments must deliver a finance deal in Baku. C40 and its mayors also called for cities to have a greater role in national climate plans, or risk national climate goals falling short.

What were the key outcomes?

COP29 achieved its goal of a finance deal, providing a starting point for giving developing countries access to funding. 

However, the target of US$300 billion per year by 2035 offers little help to frontline communities and falls short of the strong financial backing needed for the ambitious national climate plans required this decade to meet the Paris Agreement goals.

National governments failed to reaffirm the COP28 pledge to phase out fossil fuels, delaying this critical action to 2025. This setback, driven by obstructionist tactics from some nations, undermines global efforts to protect people and the planet.

The UK and Brazil announced updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) that showed ambition and progress, including on urgently reducing fossil fuels emissions. Other nations must do the same ahead of COP30.

How did COP29 deliver for cities? 

COP29’s challenges highlighted why a more inclusive approach to tackling the climate crisis is critical, with cities and local governments standing out as key partners in achieving global climate goals. Initiatives like the Coalition For High Ambition Multilevel Partnerships (CHAMP) for Climate Action are proving how cities can be central to effective national climate plans.

The CHAMP initiative, launched just a year ago, is gaining momentum. Brazil’s updated NDC stands out for its commitment to “climate federalism,” showing how cities can help address the climate crisis while supporting vulnerable communities. The UAE also showed commendable progress by putting CHAMP at the heart of its updated NDC. 

Similarly, the Declaration on Multisectoral Actions Pathways (MAP) for Resilient and Healthy Cities and the Baku Continuity Coalition for Urban Climate Action launched at COP29 highlight how partnerships between cities, subnational actors, and national governments can deliver on the Paris Agreement.

In a challenging geopolitical context, city leaders sent a clear message: future COPs need a fresh approach, new ideas, and a focus on action. To protect lives, funding must flow directly to cities, and partnerships must ensure that cities’ proven leadership is fully supported in the fight against climate breakdown.

COP29 negotiations

What was agreed:

• New global finance goal: A target of US$300 billion per year by 2035 is a step forward, but still falls short of the trillions needed annually. However, the roadmap from Baku to Belém offers some hope for bridging the funding gap.
• Mitigation work programme: Although the programme focused on cities, buildings, and urban systems, it failed to deliver significant progress on reducing emissions and limiting global heating to 1.5°C. Fossil fuel interests blocked any real progress on mitigation and delivered a low-ambition outcome.
• Global goal on adaptation: There was progress in defining indicators for the UAE Framework for Global Climate Resilience, with health highlighted as a key area for strengthening adaptation and resilience.
• Carbon markets: After almost a decade of negotiations, countries agreed on rules for carbon credits under the Paris Agreement. While this is a positive step for reducing emissions and boosting investment in emerging economies, concerns about the integrity of these credits remain.
• Loss and damage fund: The fund, launched at COP28, is now operational. New pledges from Australia and Sweden have raised its capital to US$800 million per year, but this is still far below the US$724 billion needed annually to support emerging economies in addressing loss and damage.

What was not agreed:

• How to progress COP28 outcomes: Petrostate interests, particularly from Saudi Arabia, blocked any text that targeted fossil fuels. As a result, there was no reaffirmed commitment to the historic agreement made at COP28 to triple energy capacity, double energy efficiency by 2030, and transition away from fossil fuels. The discussion was postponed to 2025.
• Just transition work programme: The outcomes of this programme were postponed until June 2025, at the next UN Climate Conference in Bonn, Germany.

While COP29 took some small steps in the right direction, there is still a long way to go. Cities’ involvement in the development and implementation of NDCs will be critical to achieving science-based and people-focused progress. Through initiatives like CHAMP, national leaders can deepen collaborations with mayors and drive faster, fairer and more impactful climate action.

On the road to COP30 in Belém in Brazil, C40, cities and our mayors will continue to push for more decisive commitments, greater finance, and a clear path for cities to lead the just transition to a sustainable future.

Visit the C40 Cities website