Major global meetings, like the G7 or the United Nations General Assembly, can feel distant from our daily lives. But the decisions made in those rooms often have real consequences for our cities, our jobs, and our environment. In this lesson, we'll look at the outcomes of a recent major climate summit, COP29, and practice connecting those global pledges to local realities.
Warm-up
With a partner, take two minutes to discuss the following question. Be prepared to share your ideas with the class.
"Name one global meeting you have heard of and one type of decision it makes."
Global Decisions, Local Impact
International summits bring leaders together to make decisions on issues like security, trade, and the environment.
From Summit to Sidewalk
In November 2024, leaders and experts from around the world met in Baku, Azerbaijan, for the 29th Conference of the Parties, or COP29. The main goal of these meetings is to decide how the world will work together to fight climate change. Watch this short video for a summary of the key outcomes.
Video: COP29 Outcomes
A summary of the key financial and policy decisions made at the 2024 UN Climate Change Conference in Baku.
Video Transcript
What happened at #COP29? [ 00:03:13 ]
The UN Climate Change Conference COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, brought together delegates from nearly 200 countries for two weeks of intense negotiations. [ 00:07:05 ]
The conference concluded with an agreement to triple climate finance for developing nations to $300 billion annually by 2035, with a pathway to $1.3 trillion. [ 00:16:03 ] This landmark agreement, known as the New Collective Quantified Goal on climate finance, aims to protect vulnerable nations from climate disasters and unlock the vast opportunities of the clean energy boom. [ 00:27:00 ]
**Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary UNFCCC**, said this new finance goal is an insurance policy for humanity, amidst worsening climate impacts hitting every country [ 00:39:07 ]. But like any insurance policy, it only works if premiums are paid in full and on time [ 00:51:00 ]. Promises must be kept to protect billions of lives [ 01:01:00 ]. This deal will keep the clean energy boom growing, helping all countries to share in its huge benefits: more jobs, stronger growth, cheaper and cleaner energy for all [ 01:07:07 ].
At COP29, nearly a decade of preparations culminated in a groundbreaking achievement: a global agreement on carbon markets [ 01:23:01 ]. This milestone will help countries deliver their climate plans more efficiently and cost-effectively, accelerating the progress needed to cut global emissions in half this decade, just as science demands [ 01:29:00 ]. COP29 also reached a global agreement on carbon markets after almost a decade of hard work, where several previous COPs were not able to get this done [ 01:40:08 ]. Over the past three years, the Supervisory Body has been working on those really technical details in terms of how to operationalize our carbon market mechanism [ 01:55:04 ]. And essentially, that means that parties have a lot more guidance in terms of how to go about actually operationalizing the mechanism [ 02:04:02 ].
The finance breakthrough at COP29 sets the stage for the next big task: stronger national climate plans, or NDCs, due from all countries next year [ 02:12:05 ]. These plans must address all greenhouse gases across every sector to keep the critical 1.5°C warming limit within reach [ 02:20:00 ]. **António Guterres, UN Secretary-General,** urged businesses, financial institutions, cities, regions and more, to work with governments on their national climate action plans or NDCs, due by COP30 [ 02:26:00 ]. Help governments ensure that they provide policy and regulatory certainty on a 1.5-aligned future [ 02:37:05 ].
COP29 brought together over 55,000 participants, including world leaders, youth, Indigenous Peoples, and businesses, fostering collaboration and innovative solutions [ 02:45:00 ]. **María Mendiluce, CEO We Mean Business Coalition,** said business needs policy coherence [ 02:54:06 ]. If a country wants to be aligned with 1.5, the policies need to go with it and promote both the transition away from fossil fuels and the investment in renewables and energy efficiency [ 02:57:07 ]. And we need to do both, because let me remind you something that is very simple: the best way to address climate change is to stop burning fossil fuels [ 03:09:07 ]. Thank you.
The first ever Youth-led Climate Forum placed children at the forefront, highlighting the importance of inclusivity and intergenerational action in addressing the climate crisis [ 03:18:03 ]. **Georgina Magesa, Child and Youth Climate Advocate, Tanzania,** said every child deserves clean water, good health, and quality education [ 03:28:09 ]. But climate change is taking away these basic rights away from us [ 03:34:03 ]. As young as we are, we understand the Paris Agreement goal to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius [ 03:40:02 ]. Let me tell you what this means to us children: every half degree matters, every year matters, every action matters [ 03:48:07 ].
COP29 made significant strides in climate transparency with 13 countries submitting their first Biennial Transparency Reports and launching new tools for enhanced reporting [ 03:56:06 ]. Countries also agreed to launch the Baku Adaptation Road Map to accelerate National Adaptation Plans for vulnerable nations, and extended the Lima Work Programme on Gender and Climate Change for another 10 years, with a new gender action plan set for COP30 [ 04:06:01 ].
On the road to COP30, nations must unite around the Paris Agreement to align their nationally determined contributions with the 1.5°C target [ 04:22:00 ]. International cooperation remains crucial to securing a sustainable future for all [ 04:29:05 ]. International cooperation, centered on the Paris Agreement, is indispensable to climate action [ 04:35:05 ]. Amidst geopolitical divisions and uncertainties, the world needs countries to come together here in Baku [ 04:41:00 ]. The UN Paris Agreement is humanity's life-raft [ 04:49:03 ]. There is nothing else [ 04:55:00 ]. So here in Baku and all of the countries represented in this room, we are taking that journey forward together [ 04:58:04 ]. I thank you [ 05:11:00 ].
Key Outcomes from COP29
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