Every country must participate in fight against climate change World Meteorological Organisation says

Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) Celeste Saulo has said that countries are expected to demonstrate ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) at the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) in Azerbaijan's capital Baku. 

"We need everyone to play their part. This is not just about the Global North or the Global South; it is a collective effort. We need every country to participate in combating climate change. We hope that an agreement will be reached on the critical financing needed for the developing world to ensure a truly just energy transition," she told Report, Caliber.Az informs.

She emphasised the need for collective global action in the fight against climate change.

Saulo also expressed optimism about achieving the global temperature goal of limiting warming to 1.5°C. "I would say we all need to stay optimistic on this issue because none of us will enjoy living in a world where that threshold is exceeded," she added. 

She noted that according to the WMO, the period from 2015 to 2024 has been the hottest decade in the past 175 years of recorded observations.

Saulo highlighted that long-term global warming is currently around 1.3°C above pre-industrial levels, specifically the 1850s baseline. 

"Climate change is manifesting almost daily through extreme weather events. This year, many countries across all continents experienced record rainfall and flooding, with significant loss of life. The rising heat has affected dozens of countries, with temperatures repeatedly exceeding 50°C," she emphasised.

Saulo also pointed to the accelerating pace of glacier melting, stressing that combating climate change can only be effective through collective global efforts.

She underscored the critical importance of investing in clean energy and renewable sources, such as solar and wind power, to address the climate crisis.

The 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) officially started in Azerbaijan on November 11.

The decision to host COP29 in Azerbaijan, a country with extensive experience in organizing international events, was made during the plenary session of COP28 in Dubai on December 11, 2023.

The conference will run from November 11 to November 22, with Baku, Azerbaijan's capital, welcoming approximately 70,000 international guests.

The opening day of COP29 will be November 11, with the High-Level Segment of the Climate Action Summit taking place on November 12-13. During this segment, around 80 heads of state and government from countries party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will deliver speeches. The addresses by world leaders will continue on November 13.

It is important to note that the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the UNFCCC has been held annually since 1995. The primary purpose of the event is to assess global progress in the fight against climate change. Since the mid-1990s, the conference has addressed key agreements such as the Kyoto Protocol, which established binding commitments for developed countries to limit greenhouse gas emissions. From 2011 to 2015, the conference also focused on the Paris Agreement, a pivotal international accord adopted in 2015 in France to combat climate change. To date, 195 countries, including Azerbaijan, have signed the Paris Agreement.

By Naila Huseynova