Romanian reports focus on Baku’s pivotal role in COP29 climate talks

Leading Romanian outlets, including the popular news portal Aktual, have highlighted the upcoming 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29), set to take place in Azerbaijan in the coming days.

These news pieces focus on the significance of COP29, which will bring together global leaders to address pressing climate change issues, Caliber.Az reports via local media.

The articles emphasize that this year’s summit will centre around financing efforts to combat climate change.

The publications inform readers that COP29, scheduled for November 11–22, will focus on establishing a new global climate finance target, replacing the previous annual goal of €100 billion set in 2009. This new target is aimed at supporting developing nations as they confront climate challenges. The discussions will take place against the backdrop of ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, strained trade relations between the West and China, and tighter fiscal policies in many developed nations.

The articles also point out that although the Paris Agreement, signed in 2015, set the goal of keeping global warming below 2°C, the world is already experiencing record-high temperatures, with warming having reached 1.3°C. The UN Environment Programme estimates that if no significant action is taken, the planet could warm by 2.6°C by 2100.

Romanian media underline the critical role Baku will play in shaping global climate action, with discussions expected to focus on a new annual financial target of $1 trillion. Azerbaijan was unanimously selected as the host for COP29 during the COP28 plenary session on December 11, 2023, supported by other Eastern European nations.

As part of its commitment, Azerbaijan has declared 2024 the "Green World Solidarity Year," promoting global cooperation in the fight against climate change. The event is expected to draw approximately 80,000 attendees, including heads of state and government officials.

The COP29 Presidency's strategy revolves around two main pillars: boosting ambition and facilitating action. The first pillar focuses on increasing transparency and developing bold national climate plans, while the second emphasizes the importance of finance in turning these ambitions into real-world actions to reduce emissions, adapt to climate change, and address loss and damage.

Azerbaijan has reaffirmed its commitments under the Paris Agreement, aiming to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 35% by 2030 and by 40% by 2050. Since signing the Paris Agreement in April 2016, the country has adhered to its legally binding climate framework.

For two weeks, Baku will serve as a global hub for climate discussions, welcoming between 70,000 and 80,000 international delegates. The UNFCCC, established at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, aims to prevent harmful human interference with the climate. The "Conference of the Parties" (COP) is the convention's highest decision-making body, with 198 member states. The first COP took place in Berlin in 1995, and its secretariat is headquartered in Bonn, Germany.

By Tamilla Hasanova