On Monday 18th November from 2-3pm (UK time), the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Climate Change (Climate APPG) hosted an online webinar briefing for UK parliamentarians to discuss COP.
The latest UN climate summit, COP29, is underway in Baku, Azerbaijan for two weeks. Leaders arrive at COP this week against an already deeply fraught geopolitical backdrop, amidst deadly and worsening climate change impacts, and with 2024 on track to be the hottest year ever experienced by humans. And now, on top of all that, the US has elected Donald Trump who has promised to withdraw, again from the Paris Agreement.
World leaders and their climate negotiators must agree a new, higher, global goal for climate finance to be provided to poorer nations for sustainable development, adaptation to climate change, and rising costs of loss and damage from climate change disasters. And they are looking ahead to more ambitious national pledges (NDCs) due next year, with some leading countries – including the UK – announcing their NDC in Baku to help stimulate progress.
Speakers include:
- Ruth Davis: respected UK environmental policy expert who has worked across all sectors and newly appointed UK special representative for nature, to reflect on connections between work at COP29 and progress at the recent biodiversity COP.
- Mike Williams: senior fellow at progressive US think tank, the Centre for America Progress, to reflect on what the imminent change of US administration means for climate.
- Matt Toombs: director for international climate change at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, to reflect on the UK’s role at COP, under its newly elected government.
- Alex Scott: senior associate on Climate Diplomacy with Italian think tank ECCO. Formerly of the think tank E3G and a veteran of COPs and international negotiations.
