john gitonga’s Post

 Trump has pledged to halt or reverse key climate legislation like the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which funds clean energy and climate resilience projects. Rescinding unspent IRA funds would jeopardize a significant portion of the U.S.'s climate investments, potentially setting back the shift to renewable energy and clean technology domestically. Trump has indicated support for more fossil fuel extraction, including expanding drilling projects and loosening regulatory limits on greenhouse gas emissions. These actions could intensify the U.S.'s reliance on fossil fuels, increasing carbon emissions and potentially hindering global climate progress

One last piece of COP news: I’ve signed this statement from the World Evangelical Alliance on the ethnic cleansing of Armenians by Azerbaijan. On a personal level, COP29 was the experience of a lifetime, and it was a huge privilege to meet such inspiring and talented people- scientists, negotiators, activists, NGO leaders, religious representatives and my fellow CCOP participants. We were all also really thankful to have such supportive and friendly local volunteers around the COP grounds. We can’t, however, let the brutal Azerbaijani dictatorship use a failed climate summit as an opportunity to greenwash a genocide. Instead of working round the clock to achieve true climate justice for the most vulnerable and an effective phase out of fossil fuels, the COP Presidency was focused on distracting international attention from the treatment of dissidents and Armenians. As a result, an inadequate finance package was forced through against the objections of others by an authoritarian government, and the Armenians were failed once again by the international community. See below the statement from the WEA.

𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗢𝗣𝟮𝟵 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟱 - (𝟭𝟱/𝟭𝟭) 𝗔 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 A powerful open letter from leading climate experts calls for a radical overhaul of the COP process. The letter urges future summits to avoid being held in petrostates and to implement stricter regulations on fossil fuel lobbying. This call comes as new data reveals a staggering number of fossil fuel lobbyists at COP29, outnumbering delegates from the world's most vulnerable nations. Amidst these concerns, Azerbaijan has proposed a 'COP Truce', calling for a global ceasefire this month. As negotiations continue, the slow pace of progress and the lack of substantial draft texts on key agenda items raise serious questions about the effectiveness of the COP process. #COP29 #ClimateAction #ClimateCrisis #ClimateJustice #FossilFuelLobbying #ClimateFinance #ClimateChange

Essential read from African Arguments on how COP29 is failing low-income, climate-impacted countries There is no clarity on the finance goal, the quality of the finance, or how it’s going to be made accessible to vulnerable countries.” “Private finance often comes with terms that are less favourable for low-income countries, including conditions that can lead to debt accumulation”, read a joint statement by the African Group of Negotiators (AGN). “Our stance is that developed countries should first fulfil their obligations for public climate finance.” “We are not here to secure just any deal, but one that ensures the most vulnerable nations receive the support they need to cope with and mitigate climate impacts,” he says. “We need a deal that addresses finance, technology transfer, loss, and damage and ensures robust accountability for the promises made”. "As the first week of the COP29 neared its end, a group of activists from Africa and the Global South gathered to condemn a myriad of “eye-watering false solutions”, including fossil fuels, geoengineering, artificial intelligence, and carbon capture storage. They described such ideas as “colonial extractive tactics” used to hoodwink developing countries. They also cautioned against framing carbon trading as a form of climate finance, saying it only diverts attention from the direct financial needs that developed countries must pay vulnerable countries."

🌍 CAN Europe’s key priorities for COP29 🌍 1️⃣ Pay Up: The EU and developed countries must pay up and end financial injustice 💰 2️⃣ End Fossil Fuels: The era of fossil fuels has to be ended, once and for all 🚫 3️⃣ People are central: Human Rights, equity and safe operating space for civil society have to be at the core of COP29 and beyond 🌐 🔗Get the latest on CAN Europe’s COP29 updates ➡️ https://lnkd.in/dJNpfJ7W #COP29 #PayUp #EndFossilFuels

As achievements are being discussed, we urge COP29 Azerbaijan delegates to invest more in activism than discussions. Create a lee way to fasten the clean energy transition and have policies that end the use of fossil fuels starting right from the grassroots upwards #ClimateEmergency

Here we are again with an unrepresentative portrayal of COP29 Azerbaijan, where Prime Ministers and world leaders are displayed. Women make up 7 out of 78 participants, representing just 8%, despite being 51% of the global population. This is not a failure of the COP itself but rather a consequence of the power dynamics within our countries. It reflects our collective responsibility when we choose our government representatives. Having a female Prime Minister does not necessarily mean a government will be women-friendly (sigh). However, with such limited female representation, I wonder how we can effectively address humanity's most critical issues in an inclusive and solidaristic way. Please, keep yourself in the loop of another man and oil-centric COP. Here, decisions about your children’s future will be made—perhaps with the hope that your sons will be men in a man-focused world.

The bad, the ugly and the (maybe) good: Can cities and other subnationals create a new path of opportunity from a challenging first week at COP29? COP29 Azerbaijan delegates awoke on Sunday, 17 November - the official mid-point of COP29 - to a dark, windy, shaky day, in both climatic sense outside in Baku, as well as political sense inside the COP29 Blue Zone. "Where do we stand on the negotiations as well as on the main priorities of the Local Governments and Municipal Authorities (LGMA) Constituency?" asks yunus Arikan, ICLEI Director of Global Advocacy and LGMA Focal Point. As we head into Week 2 in Baku, Mr. Arikan offers a candid take on the highs, lows, and everything in between from the first week in Baku. Dive into his analysis to see if cities and regions can turn early setbacks into a new path toward the final stretch of #COP29. 👉 https://lnkd.in/edtm8Sim

My piece on what should constitute Nigeria’s agenda at the ongoing COP29

Over the weekend a deal was agreed at the Cop29 summit in Baku which agreed to triple the flow of climate finance to poorer countries to help them mitigate the impacts of climate change and transition toward a greener future. The deal sets out a pledge to provide $300bn annually, an increase from a previous deal which provided $100bn annually.   However, the deal has come with much controversary as it falls way short of what was argued to be required by developing nations, a figure of $1.3tn a year. Some negotiators have described it as a ‘travesty of justice’ and complained about the procedural processes of the negotiations. Others advocated for fossil fuel companies to contribute toward the deal in a year in which their profits have continued to increase to $1tn annually.    #Cop29 #deal #climatedeal #climatechange #negotiations #baku