COP29 progress and impacts of construction, amid criticism and calls for reform

1 COP29 a brief introduction
2 COP29 open letters
3 COP29 ends with compromise on climate financing
4 Related articles on Designing Buildings

[edit] COP29 a brief introduction

The Conference of the Parties (COP) is held annually, with the Presidency rotating between the five recognised UN regions. For COP 29, Azerbaijan was selected for the presidency, being hosted in Baku from November 11–22, 2024.

In their report 'Building Materials And The Climate: Constructing A New Future' published in September 2023, the UN environment program highlighted that 37% of global emissions can be attributed to the construction industry. Although projections suggest that operational carbon emissions of buildings may decrease from 75% to 50% of the sector's total emissions over the next decades, the production and use of materials such as cement, steel, and aluminium have a significant and continued carbon footprint.

Prior to the COP29 event, the Presidency published final texts of Declarations and Pledges for Summit, following a period of public consultation that included:

COP29 Truce Appeal
COP29 Global Energy Storage and Grids Pledge
COP29 Green Energy Zones and Corridors Pledge
COP29 Hydrogen Declaration
COP29 Declaration on Green Digital Action
COP29 Declaration on Reducing Methane from Organic Waste
COP29 Multisectoral Actions Pathways (MAP) Declaration to Resilient and Healthy Cities
COP29 Declaration on Enhanced Action in Tourism
COP29 Declaration on Water for Climate Action

Following criticism during the previous COP28 presidency being handed to Sultan al-Jaber, the engineer, businessman, politician, and chair of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc), COP29 has seen some similar commentary. Azerbaijan's minister for ecology and natural resources, Mukhtar Babayev, was named president of COP29; he was also formerly executive of the state oil company SOCAR, becoming the second petrochemical executive in a row to hold the position of COP presidency.

For updates on COP29 from the UN Climate Change Committee visit https://unfccc.int/cop29

For updates on COP29 from the COP29 Presidency Team visit https://cop29.az/en/presidency/cop29-presidency-team

[edit] COP29 open letters

As has also been the case prior to previous COP events, a number of open letters were published; some of the letters are outlined in summary here with links to the full publications. These include calls to step up action but also to entirely reform the COP process.

[edit] Open letter from the Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders

An open letter published in October from the Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders; signed by more than 100 CEOs and Senior Executives, representing $4 trillion in revenues and 12 million employees.

The letter calls for Governments and private sector businesses to collaborate to close the 600 Gt emissions reduction gap by 2050 and limit global warming to 1.5°C. The Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders has reduced its emissions by 10% from 2019–2022 and supports COP28 commitments to renewable energy and a just transition from fossil fuels.

The letter make four key policy recommendations

Ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs): Upgrade NDCs for transparent investment plans with multi sector input, sector-specific pathways, and climate-nature synergies.
Scale Up Climate Finance: Mobilise trillions in climate finance with de-risking tools, phased-out fossil subsidies, and lower capital costs for developing countries.
Remove Transition Barriers: Streamline permits, expand renewable grids, boost electrification, and incentivise energy efficiency.
Support Breakthrough Technologies: Scale clean technologies with supportive policies, incentives, and procurement targets.

Business leadership is needed and businesses must adopt science-based targets, disclose progress, and support supply chain decarbonisation.

To read a full copy of this open letter visit World Economic Forum on behalf of the Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders.

[edit] Open letter from the International Chamber of Commerce’s global network

An open letter published in October from the International Chamber of Commerce’s global network, which represents over 45 million members, companies, chambers of commerce and business associations in more than 100 countries.

The letter highlights two key outcomes that must be achieved at COP29:

A truly ambitious, actionable, and comprehensive New Collective Quantified Goal on Climate Finance (NCQG). Establish a robust public finance commitment and a global private investment target. Address barriers to private finance in developing economies, such as financial stability rules and sovereign debt impacts. Set an actionable agenda to create an enabling environment for private finance, a transformative step since the Paris Agreement.
Fully operationalise Article 6 of the Paris Agreement to unleash the potential of international carbon markets to accelerate the pace and scale of emissions reductions. Finalise guidance for Article 6.2 and 6.4 to enable high-integrity international carbon markets. Resolve differences pragmatically to boost business confidence and accelerate emissions reductions.

Both deliverables will enable upgraded Nationally Determined Contributions by 2025, fostering global cooperation and green investment. Private sector impacts from climate change demand urgent action. Let us collaborate to ensure COP29 achieves these critical outcomes.

To read a full copy of this open letter visit Open letter to climate ministers in advance of COP29

[edit] Open call for COP reform signed by prominent scientists, advocates and policy leaders.

An open letter published in November by a group of prominent scientists, advocates and policy leaders calling for reform to by all states that are Parties to the Convention.

The letter reaffirms the call for COP reform to transition from negotiation to implementation and achieve climate action at the necessary scale and speed and suggests a number of measures for this reform:

Improve COP Presidency Selection: Set strict criteria ensuring host countries support fossil fuel phase-out and Paris Agreement goals.
Streamline for Action: Shift to solution-driven, smaller meetings focusing on accountability, benchmarking progress, and adjusting actions based on science.
Strengthen Implementation and Accountability: Enhance reporting, peer-review, and scientific oversight to align national actions with climate science.
Track Climate Finance: Standardise definitions, ensure transparency, and avoid debt-burdening loans for climate-vulnerable nations.
Integrate Scientific Evidence: Establish a permanent scientific advisory body to guide COP decisions.
Link Climate and Social Issues: Appoint a Climate-Poverty Policy Envoy to address interdependencies of planetary stability, poverty, and justice.
Ensure Equitable Representation: Limit fossil fuel lobbying and amplify voices of scientists, Indigenous communities, and vulnerable nations.

The letter further urges the need for UNFCCC to evolve to deliver strategic, accountable, and impactful decisions, aligning ambition with the urgency of the climate crisis.

To read a full copy of this open letter visit Open Letter on COP reform to All States that are Parties to the ConventionMr. Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC Secretariat and UN Secretary-General António Guterres

[edit] COP29 ends with compromise on climate financing

Dubbed the ‘climate finance COP’, as representatives from all countries were seeking to establish new, higher climate finance goals. The conference ended on 24 November with a pledge from developed nations to contribute at least $300 billion annually to support adaptation. The exisiting $100 billion goal, due to expire in 2025 was replaced by the new collective quantified goal (NCQG) of reaching “at least $1.3 trillion by 2035”.

Other areas that were covered at the COP included:

Scaling up and improving early warnings coverage, and advancing Global Greenhouse Gas Watch to improve monitoring and mitigation.
Closing the gaps in Earth observations and Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems to inform both mitigation and adaptation.
Additional to the United Nations Systematic Observations Financing Facility (SOFF) that is now capitalized with more than US $100 million to support countries in closing their basic weather and climate data gaps.
A consolidated WMO strategy to support countries in updating Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) to reflect elements that will be developed.
National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) positioned as the authoritative voice of hydro-meteorological early warnings and central actors.
Rules agreed for a UN-backed global carbon market, to facilitate the trading of carbon credits, incentivizing countries to reduce emissions and invest in climate-friendly projects.
Extension to the programme centered on gender and climate change; and support for the least developed countries to carry out national adaptation plans.