The second day of the climate summit in Baku brought harsh words and little hope. At the Leaders Summit, Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev proved resistant to criticism and instead accused the USA and the EU and their “fake news media” of waging a campaign against his country. The summit with the heads of state was actually intended to promote a good atmosphere and cooperation in order to resolve difficult issues such as finances. However, the most powerful countries of the G20 sent practically no high-ranking representatives. The biggest sign of hope today came from the UK, as Bernhard Pötter analyzes.
Meanwhile, there was hope, but also criticism, regarding the agreement on Article 6.4 of the Paris Agreement. The newly agreed trade regulations for greenhouse gas reductions provided the COP presidency with an early success. However, some aspects of the article are still being negotiated, the issue is not yet over – and the way in which the agreement was reached in Baku remains controversial, as Lukas Knigge reports.
In today’s News, you can read about the Climate Club’s initial findings, why there are still no signs of a peak in CO2 emissions from fossil fuels, and what massive impact the ruling on Shell’s emissions obligations could have.
We wish you an exciting read!
Your Lukas Bayer
Feature
Leaders’ Summit: Why it is so difficult to create a positive atmosphere
Defending himself against criticism: Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev at the COP29 in Baku.
The official program of the COP29 began on the second day with urgent appeals for more climate action, sharp attacks on Azerbaijan’s critics, and practically no high-level participation from the most powerful countries. On the previous day, the COP plenary had blocked each other in an hour-long battle over the agenda. Then, late on Monday evening, a partial agreement was reached on the controversial issue of market mechanisms (Article 6.4).
On the second day of the conference, statements by the heads of state and government lasting no more than three minutes (some almost kept to their speaking time) were intended to prepare the delegations for common ground and a willingness to compromise over the next ten days.
Wanted: trust and cooperation
The “World Leaders Climate Action Summit” (WLCAS) with over 80 heads of state and government at the start of the conference, which has only been customary for a few years, was therefore intended to provide momentum and credibility at the start of the negotiation phase. Creating a spirit of optimism was not easy. Most of the speakers were representatives of countries that contribute little to the climate problem and are urgently waiting for financial aid.
In contrast, the major G20 countries and main emitters of greenhouse gases did not make a high-level appearance: Neither China nor the USA, the EU, India, Brazil, Russia or South Africa had sent any real decision-makers to Baku. The G20, which together produce around 80 percent of emissions, will meet next week in Brazil. As a result, the WLCAS provided little impetus to soften the hardened fronts between the countries on finance, adaptation and climate action.
Harsh words from the host
The mood was also set by an undiplomatic welcoming speech. Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev vehemently defended himself against criticism of his country. In the war over Nagorno-Karabakh in the fall of 2023, his state restored UN law. Azerbaijan is the ideal “bridge builder between East and West, North and South” and has vast resources of oil and gas – which Aliyev repeatedly referred to as a “gift from God“. Pastor Fletcher Harper from the religious environmental group Green Faith contradicted him in a press release: “More fossil fuels are literally the highway to hell for billions of people and the planet and certainly not a gift from God. That would be renewable energy today.”
Aliyev also objected to calling Azerbaijan a “petro-state“, as less than one percent of global gas and oil production comes from here. He clearly criticized the USA, but also the EU, as hypocritical because the Europeans buy gas, but then criticize his country through “double standards and their fake news media“. And for all those who wanted to boycott the COP, he said: “I have bad news: More than 80 heads of government are here.”
Guterres: Confident about finance deal
UN Secretary-General António Guterres responded indirectly to this in his subsequent speech – he called plans to expand fossil fuels absurd. The states had decided at COP28 to move away from fossil fuels and must now deliver, in terms of emissions reductions, but also in terms of finance and more adaptation measures. However, Guterres also demanded: “The G20 states must lead the way.” On finance, “There must be a deal, and I am confident that it will be achieved”.
This sounded rather pessimistic and combative in the speeches of the first heads of state. In the afternoon, representatives from countries such as Kazakhstan, Serbia, Zimbabwe, Uzbekistan, the Marshall Islands, Iraq and Congo spoke. Turkish President Recep Erdoğan reapplied to host COP31 in 2026, and Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus asked: “How effective can our meeting be if those who have to pay are not here?”
Great Britain: land of hope and glory
The outgoing EU Council President Charles Michel, on the other hand, represents the largest payer in climate policy: The EU has raised $31 billion for climate aid, according to Michel. “The euro is the currency of the climate”, he stated. The world “can rely on Europe”. However, Michel, whose term of office ends in two weeks’ time, did not mention a generally demanded large increase in these funds.
The greatest sign of hope, however, came from the new British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. He announced that the UK’s new NDC would provide for an 81% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2035 and that the fossil fuel power supply would be decarbonized through the massive expansion of offshore wind, CCS, and nuclear power. Environmental groups praised the plan, which follows the proposal of the British CCC Council of Experts because it shows a path to the 2050 net-zero target and is in line with the results of the Global Stocktage (GST) from COP28.
The next few days will show whether the British initiative is enough to shift the mood at the conference towards cooperation, less greed, and more ambition.
Antonio Guterres
Aserbaidschan
Climate financing
COP29
Translation missing.
Article 6.4: What COP29 agreed on and why there is criticism
Deforestation in Brazil: Article 6.4 should enable reforestation projects in the Global South to be accounted for as emission-reducing via international certificate trading.
It was the start that host country Azerbaijan had long struggled to achieve: At the start of COP29, the delegations agreed on one aspect of the controversial Article 6.4 of the Paris Climate Agreement. The agreement regulates standards for the evaluation of emission reduction and removal projects from which certificates are offered in an international emissions trading scheme for state and private actors. Reforestation projects in the Global South can be an example of this.
The rules are already in force following their adoption by the COP on Monday. This means that project developers and companies or organizations that issue such emission certificates can now adapt to the new standards. This is particularly important because the previous trade in emission reductions under the Kyoto Protocol – the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) – will be transferred to the rules under Article 6.4 of the Paris Climate Agreement in 2025.
What does the (partial) agreement on Article 6.4 say?
A UNFCCC panel of experts drafted the new rules and published them back in October. The COP presidency wanted to record an early success and pushed through their adoption on Monday evening. The standards regulate in detail how projects for emission reductions and removalsmust calculate their emission reductions.
Among other things:
The calculation must prove that the emission reduction was “clearly” achieved by the respective project and in additionto the business-as-usual scenario.
The starting point before the start of a climate action measure must be determined according to defined standards and the subsequent reduction measured.
Before a project receives approval from the UN panel of experts, it must demonstrate how it will prevent or minimize potential emissions leakage.
Greenhouse gas extraction projects are subject to even stricter rules:
A calculation method for the amount of the withdrawal was defined.
Potential risks of removal and storage must be explained.
Any negative environmental and social consequences must be assessed and mitigated.
Storage of emissions must be reported even if the project no longer receives certificates.
However, other aspects of Article 6.4 are still being negotiated, so the issue is not closed. Among other things, it is still unclear how the certificates will be handled after confirmation by the UN expert panel, for example, what rulesapply to the duration of the withdrawals or to what extent countries can count these emission reductions towards their own climate targets (NDCs). The majority of the details relating to Article 6.2, which regulates intergovernmental trade in emission reductions, also still need to be finalized.
Why is the adoption of Article 6.4 rules criticized?
Criticism was voiced above all at the procedure of the agreement. Carbon market expert Isa Mulder from Carbon Market Watch described the agreement as a “backroom deal” that did not give countries and observers the necessary time to deal with the proposals. European negotiators, who always insist on integrity and strict rules in the negotiations on Article 6, were positive about the result: They had had enough time to examine the proposals of the expert panel and were happy that part of Article 6.4 had now been resolved, they said.
Other observers criticized that the global carbon market under Article 6 would have a devastating impact on the Global South, indigenous peoples, and especially smallholder farmers. Florence Laloe, senior director for climate policy at Conservation International, commented that the agreement would help to make the carbon market fully operational. The focus could now be on other outstanding issues.
COP29
Emissions trading
Klimaziele
Pariser Klimaabkommen
UNFCCC
Dates at COP29
Nov. 13, 2024; 10 a.m., Karabakh Room/online Press conferenceUNEP: Release of the Nitrous Oxide (N2O) Global Assessment At this press conference, the UN Environment Program (UNEP) presents a global report on the “forgotten super pollutant” nitrous oxide.INFO
Nov. 13, 2024; 11 a.m., Mugham Room SummitTroika High-level Dialogue: Our Roadmap to Mission 1.5 towards a future of shared prosperity At this high-level dialog, the troika states of the COP – Azerbaijan, the UAE and Brazil – present their roadmap for the 1.5-degree target.INFO
Nov. 13, 2024; 1:15 p.m., Natavan Room Side EventUNFCCC: Key reports of the Standing Committee on Finance for COP29 At this side event, UNFCCC will present the most important reports on climate finance issues.INFO
Nov. 13, 2024; 2:30 p.m., German Pavilion/online Side EventDefinding the Defenders – Safeguarding Human Rights and the Environment At this side event at the German Pavilion at COP29, environmental activists talk about the realities of their lives. In 2024 alone, at least 196 environmental activists were murdered. This fact and the ongoing repression should be made visible.INFO
News
Climate Club: Habeck to present standards for green cement
Next Monday, Minister Robert Habeck plans to present a standard for the production of green cement at COP29 in Baku. This is the first important result of the Climate Club initiated by Chancellor Olaf Scholz and officially founded at COP28 in Dubai. Discussions on common standards for green steel are also progressing. The International Energy Agency’s definition serves as a working basis.
It is still unclear how the decarbonization of heavy industries, particularly in the Global South, will be financed. In a joint announcement by some industrialized countries of the Climate Club next week – including Germany and the USA – the first money is already to be promised, it is said in Baku.
In addition, emerging countries with emissions-intensive industries are to be brought together with potential financiers via a matchmaking platform. Chile, Colombia, Indonesia, Kenya and Morocco are already part of the platform and are to receive financial and technical support for decarbonization.
Meanwhile, the Climate Club continues to grow. Croatia, Slovakia, Poland and Bangladesh have joined, bringing the total number of members to 43 countries. luk
Climate Club
COP28
COP29
COP29
Dekarbonisierung
Robert Habeck
CO2 budget: Peak in fossil fuel emissions still not in sight
Global CO2 emissions from the use of fossil fuels will rise again in 2024. There is still “no clear sign” that these emissions will peak, warns a report on the Global Carbon Budget, which was presented at COP29 in Baku on Wednesday. According to the report, there is a 50 percent risk that the CO2 budget to comply with the 1.5-degree limit will be used up in the next six years.
According to the report, fossil CO2 emissions are expected to rise by 0.3 to 1.9 percent to 37.4 billion tons of CO2 this year. Emissions are only expected to fall in 22 countries, such as the USA, the UK and some EU member states. For the EU, the report forecasts a decrease of 3.8 percent. This is mainly due to the expansion of renewable energies and, to a lesser extent, to lower economic output.
Falling emissions in EU countries and in global land use
Further progress has been made with CO2 emissions from land use. Although these remain high, they have fallen by 20 percent over the past ten years. However, climate change has reduced the CO2 storage capacity of land masses by a quarter in the last ten years. Overall, global CO2 emissions have therefore stagnated at 41.6 billion tons of CO2. These are made up of emissions from fossil fuels and changes in land use.
The annual update of the report is currently undergoing peer review and will be published in the journal Earth System Science Data. More than 100 experts have worked on it under the leadership of the University of Exeter. lb
COP29
Permafrost: Irreversible damages if 1.5-degree limit is exceeded
According to many glaciologists, exceeding the 1.5-degree limit will lead to the melting of large parts of the Greenland and West Antarctic ice sheets. This will cause sea levels to rise by ten meters within the next few centuries and threaten many densely populated coastal cities, according to the report “State of the Cryosphere 2024” by the International Cryosphere Climate Initiative. This was presented on Tuesday at the COP29 in Baku.
With the current climate action measures, there is a threat of warming beyond 3.1 degrees. According to the report, this would lead to extreme losses and damage “far beyond the adaptation limits of many communities and countries”. A rise in sea level of around 15 meters is possible by the year 2300. Most glaciers at high altitudes in Asia would disappear, causing major damage to agriculture in the affected regions. In addition, the annual emissions from the thawing permafrost would be similar to those of China.
Only a limit of 1.5 degrees could slow down the melting of the ice to such an extent that coastal and mountain regions could adapt to it. This would stabilize the rate of sea level rise and save up to a third of the glacier mass in Scandinavia and the Alps. “Any exceedance of 1.5 degrees is extremely risky due to feedback from the cryosphere“, the report also warns of overshoot scenarios in which temperatures briefly exceed 1.5 degrees and then fall below it again. This would risk triggering irreversible tipping points such as the melting of the polar ice sheets and a collapse of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC). lb
COP29
COP29: baby steps for methane emissions
At yesterday’s “COP29 Summit on Methane and Non-CO2 GHGs”, only small progress was made in the fight against global methane emissions. The results in detail:
The US climate envoy John Podesta has introduced a penalty fee for methane emissions in the oil and gas sector in the USA. If companies exceed certain limits, they will have to pay $900 per additional ton of methane emissions in the future. The penalty fee is set to rise to $1,500 by 2026. However, it is unclear whether Donald Trump will abolish this fee once he takes office.
Chinadid not present any new initiatives, although it organized the summit together with the USA. Liu Zhenmin, China’s special envoy for climate issues, referred to the Chinese action plan against methane emissions published a year ago. China had started late in taking action against methane emissions and first needed to build up capacities. China also lacks the necessary technologies, said Liu Zhenmin. IEA Director General Fatih Birol indirectly contradictedthis assessment at the summit. He said that all the technologies were available to quickly reduce methane emissions from the energy sector. However, the majority of Chinese emissions come from abandoned coal mines – reducing these emissions is considered more difficult than in the oil and gas sector.
South Korea has presented the ASEAN-Korea Cooperation on Methane Mitigation Project and pledged $20 million.
The UK has pledged $6.5 million to the Climate and Clean Air Coalition’s Fossil Fuel Regulatory Program. Ed Miliband, UK Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net-Zero, said at the summit that oil and gas companies must become more ambitious in reducing methane emissions.
The EU has presented the “Methane Abatement Partnership Roadmap”, which is intended to serve as a blueprint for fossil fuel importing and exporting countries to reduce methane emissions. According to the EU, the roadmap contains “a series of concrete measures, such as a robust monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) system” for methane emissions. nib
COP29
Climate lawsuits: What Shell’s victory in the appeals process means
The British oil and gas company Shell does not have to drastically reduce its CO2 emissions after all. A civil court in The Hague overturned a corresponding climate ruling by the court of first instance and dismissed the lawsuit brought by the environmental organization Milieudefensie. The ruling is considered a victory for the energy company, but Milieudefensie has announced that it will continue to fight. The organization is now likely to appeal to the highest court.
In 2021, a court ruled in favor of Milieudefensie and ordered Shell to reduce its emissions by a net 45% by 2030 compared to 2019 levels. The ruling at the time placed far-reaching responsibilities on the company: According to it, the reduction obligation applied to greenhouse gas emissions along the entire value chain, including emissions from suppliers and customers. These so-called Scope 3 emissions account for around 95 percent of Shell’s total emissions.
The decision at the time was seen as groundbreaking for further climate lawsuits against companies. The Court of Appeal has now ruled differently. Shell does have a duty to support international climate action. However,the company could not be ordered to reduce its CO2 emissions by a specific percentage.
Protection for Shell, ‘some rays of hope’ for the climate
The British investment firm Hargreaves Lansdown assessed the appeal ruling as a “signal to the major emitters that they are safe from the jurisdiction of international framework agreements for the time being“. Sébastien Duyck, lawyer at the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), wrote at the request of Table.Briefings: “Although the ruling temporarily protects Shell from being held directly accountable in court, it also contains positive elements for climate action. It is ‘only a matter of time’ before the big fossil fuel companies (carbon majors) have to take responsibility for the costs and damage they have caused.”
Milieudefensie sees “some rays of hope“ in the appeal ruling:
The court recognized Shell’s individual responsibility for reducing emissions.
It has made it clear that the development of new oil and gas fields is contrary to the Paris Climate Agreement
and “unequivocally emphasized that protection against climate change is a human right“,
that not only states need to protect, but also companies.
Climate lawyer Roda Verheyen, who represents climate lawsuits in Germany against the coal company RWE and the car manufacturer Volkswagen, among others, assesses the ruling similarly: It establishes “very important principles that open the door for civil claims and do not close it“, she responded when asked by Table.Briefings – this also applies to the ongoing proceedings against RWE and Volkswagen in Germany and against Holcim in Switzerland. dpa/ae
Klimaklagen
Exxon: Donald Trump should keep the USA in the Paris Agreement
The CEO of Exxon Mobil, Darren Woods, has apparently spoken out in favor of the USA remaining in the Paris climate agreement – and thus opposed announcements to the contrary by incoming President Donald Trump. This was reported exclusively by the Wall Street Journal.
According to the report, Woods said that a second US withdrawal from the agreement – after 2015 – would create uncertainty and confuse global efforts to halt the worst effects of climate change. It is not helpful for business “if the pendulum swings back and forth with every change of government“, as this is also“extremely inefficient“.
Exxon has publicly supported the goals of the Paris Agreement to date. When POTUS Joe Biden rejoined the agreement in 2021 after Trump’s first withdrawal, the company welcomed this. However, the company is accused of knowing about the dangers of global warming and the role of fossil fuels in climate change as early as the 1970s, but misleading the public for decades.
Woods’ predecessor Rex Tillerson was Secretary of State under Trump in his first term of office from February 2017 to March 2018. For Tillerson, climate change was a “technical problem“ that could also be solved technically. Woods seems to have a similar view: At COP28 in Dubai, he criticized the debate on the end of fossil fuels and promoted fracking – and CCS, which is intended to store climate-damaging emissions once they have been taken out of the atmosphere. As the WSJ reports, Exxon is also increasingly seeking talks about this with the US government. Woods is currently in Baku at the COP29. ae
Klima & Umwelt
Translation missing.
Dessert
At COP28 in Dubai, the “Change Chocolate” was handed out every morning.
A successful COP day usually starts at the entrance to the conference site. One’s badge is scanned and there are usually two friendly-looking lines of people waiting for the visitors. The first line hands the ECO magazine to interested COP attendees. The magazine of the Climate Action Network (CAN) is one of the best and most important sources for what is going on in the negotiating rooms.
The second group used to be even more vital, because it handed out the magic that has already made the COP more bearable on many exhausting days: chocolate. However, just like Olaf Scholz, Emmanuel Macron and Ursula von der Leyen, the otherwise reliable UNFCCC first aiders, who have brought the “Change Chocolate” to the people at past COPs, are conspicuous by their absence in Baku and are causing a serious calorie deficit for observers, negotiators and journalists.
Some say this may be exactly why COP29 got off to such a bumpy start. Chocolate is supposed to make people happy with its Anandamide, Theobromine and Phenylethylamine – the UNFCCC should therefore replenish its stocks as quickly as possible and bring the 1.5-degree chocolate to the COP people. Lukas Knigge
The second day of the climate summit in Baku brought harsh words and little hope. At the Leaders Summit, Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev proved resistant to criticism and instead accused the USA and the EU and their “fake news media” of waging a campaign against his country. The summit with the heads of state was actually intended to promote a good atmosphere and cooperation in order to resolve difficult issues such as finances. However, the most powerful countries of the G20 sent practically no high-ranking representatives. The biggest sign of hope today came from the UK, as Bernhard Pötter analyzes.
Meanwhile, there was hope, but also criticism, regarding the agreement on Article 6.4 of the Paris Agreement. The newly agreed trade regulations for greenhouse gas reductions provided the COP presidency with an early success. However, some aspects of the article are still being negotiated, the issue is not yet over – and the way in which the agreement was reached in Baku remains controversial, as Lukas Knigge reports.
In today’s News, you can read about the Climate Club’s initial findings, why there are still no signs of a peak in CO2 emissions from fossil fuels, and what massive impact the ruling on Shell’s emissions obligations could have.
We wish you an exciting read!
Your Lukas Bayer
Feature
Leaders’ Summit: Why it is so difficult to create a positive atmosphere
Defending himself against criticism: Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev at the COP29 in Baku.
The official program of the COP29 began on the second day with urgent appeals for more climate action, sharp attacks on Azerbaijan’s critics, and practically no high-level participation from the most powerful countries. On the previous day, the COP plenary had blocked each other in an hour-long battle over the agenda. Then, late on Monday evening, a partial agreement was reached on the controversial issue of market mechanisms (Article 6.4).
On the second day of the conference, statements by the heads of state and government lasting no more than three minutes (some almost kept to their speaking time) were intended to prepare the delegations for common ground and a willingness to compromise over the next ten days.
Wanted: trust and cooperation
The “World Leaders Climate Action Summit” (WLCAS) with over 80 heads of state and government at the start of the conference, which has only been customary for a few years, was therefore intended to provide momentum and credibility at the start of the negotiation phase. Creating a spirit of optimism was not easy. Most of the speakers were representatives of countries that contribute little to the climate problem and are urgently waiting for financial aid.
In contrast, the major G20 countries and main emitters of greenhouse gases did not make a high-level appearance: Neither China nor the USA, the EU, India, Brazil, Russia or South Africa had sent any real decision-makers to Baku. The G20, which together produce around 80 percent of emissions, will meet next week in Brazil. As a result, the WLCAS provided little impetus to soften the hardened fronts between the countries on finance, adaptation and climate action.
Harsh words from the host
The mood was also set by an undiplomatic welcoming speech. Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev vehemently defended himself against criticism of his country. In the war over Nagorno-Karabakh in the fall of 2023, his state restored UN law. Azerbaijan is the ideal “bridge builder between East and West, North and South” and has vast resources of oil and gas – which Aliyev repeatedly referred to as a “gift from God“. Pastor Fletcher Harper from the religious environmental group Green Faith contradicted him in a press release: “More fossil fuels are literally the highway to hell for billions of people and the planet and certainly not a gift from God. That would be renewable energy today.”
Aliyev also objected to calling Azerbaijan a “petro-state“, as less than one percent of global gas and oil production comes from here. He clearly criticized the USA, but also the EU, as hypocritical because the Europeans buy gas, but then criticize his country through “double standards and their fake news media“. And for all those who wanted to boycott the COP, he said: “I have bad news: More than 80 heads of government are here.”
Guterres: Confident about finance deal
UN Secretary-General António Guterres responded indirectly to this in his subsequent speech – he called plans to expand fossil fuels absurd. The states had decided at COP28 to move away from fossil fuels and must now deliver, in terms of emissions reductions, but also in terms of finance and more adaptation measures. However, Guterres also demanded: “The G20 states must lead the way.” On finance, “There must be a deal, and I am confident that it will be achieved”.
This sounded rather pessimistic and combative in the speeches of the first heads of state. In the afternoon, representatives from countries such as Kazakhstan, Serbia, Zimbabwe, Uzbekistan, the Marshall Islands, Iraq and Congo spoke. Turkish President Recep Erdoğan reapplied to host COP31 in 2026, and Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus asked: “How effective can our meeting be if those who have to pay are not here?”
Great Britain: land of hope and glory
The outgoing EU Council President Charles Michel, on the other hand, represents the largest payer in climate policy: The EU has raised $31 billion for climate aid, according to Michel. “The euro is the currency of the climate”, he stated. The world “can rely on Europe”. However, Michel, whose term of office ends in two weeks’ time, did not mention a generally demanded large increase in these funds.
The greatest sign of hope, however, came from the new British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. He announced that the UK’s new NDC would provide for an 81% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2035 and that the fossil fuel power supply would be decarbonized through the massive expansion of offshore wind, CCS, and nuclear power. Environmental groups praised the plan, which follows the proposal of the British CCC Council of Experts because it shows a path to the 2050 net-zero target and is in line with the results of the Global Stocktage (GST) from COP28.
The next few days will show whether the British initiative is enough to shift the mood at the conference towards cooperation, less greed, and more ambition.
Antonio Guterres
Aserbaidschan
Climate financing
COP29
Translation missing.
Article 6.4: What COP29 agreed on and why there is criticism
Deforestation in Brazil: Article 6.4 should enable reforestation projects in the Global South to be accounted for as emission-reducing via international certificate trading.
It was the start that host country Azerbaijan had long struggled to achieve: At the start of COP29, the delegations agreed on one aspect of the controversial Article 6.4 of the Paris Climate Agreement. The agreement regulates standards for the evaluation of emission reduction and removal projects from which certificates are offered in an international emissions trading scheme for state and private actors. Reforestation projects in the Global South can be an example of this.
The rules are already in force following their adoption by the COP on Monday. This means that project developers and companies or organizations that issue such emission certificates can now adapt to the new standards. This is particularly important because the previous trade in emission reductions under the Kyoto Protocol – the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) – will be transferred to the rules under Article 6.4 of the Paris Climate Agreement in 2025.
What does the (partial) agreement on Article 6.4 say?
A UNFCCC panel of experts drafted the new rules and published them back in October. The COP presidency wanted to record an early success and pushed through their adoption on Monday evening. The standards regulate in detail how projects for emission reductions and removalsmust calculate their emission reductions.
Among other things:
The calculation must prove that the emission reduction was “clearly” achieved by the respective project and in additionto the business-as-usual scenario.
The starting point before the start of a climate action measure must be determined according to defined standards and the subsequent reduction measured.
Before a project receives approval from the UN panel of experts, it must demonstrate how it will prevent or minimize potential emissions leakage.
Greenhouse gas extraction projects are subject to even stricter rules:
A calculation method for the amount of the withdrawal was defined.
Potential risks of removal and storage must be explained.
Any negative environmental and social consequences must be assessed and mitigated.
Storage of emissions must be reported even if the project no longer receives certificates.
However, other aspects of Article 6.4 are still being negotiated, so the issue is not closed. Among other things, it is still unclear how the certificates will be handled after confirmation by the UN expert panel, for example, what rulesapply to the duration of the withdrawals or to what extent countries can count these emission reductions towards their own climate targets (NDCs). The majority of the details relating to Article 6.2, which regulates intergovernmental trade in emission reductions, also still need to be finalized.
Why is the adoption of Article 6.4 rules criticized?
Criticism was voiced above all at the procedure of the agreement. Carbon market expert Isa Mulder from Carbon Market Watch described the agreement as a “backroom deal” that did not give countries and observers the necessary time to deal with the proposals. European negotiators, who always insist on integrity and strict rules in the negotiations on Article 6, were positive about the result: They had had enough time to examine the proposals of the expert panel and were happy that part of Article 6.4 had now been resolved, they said.
Other observers criticized that the global carbon market under Article 6 would have a devastating impact on the Global South, indigenous peoples, and especially smallholder farmers. Florence Laloe, senior director for climate policy at Conservation International, commented that the agreement would help to make the carbon market fully operational. The focus could now be on other outstanding issues.
COP29
Emissions trading
Klimaziele
Pariser Klimaabkommen
UNFCCC
Dates at COP29
Nov. 13, 2024; 10 a.m., Karabakh Room/online Press conferenceUNEP: Release of the Nitrous Oxide (N2O) Global Assessment At this press conference, the UN Environment Program (UNEP) presents a global report on the “forgotten super pollutant” nitrous oxide.INFO
Nov. 13, 2024; 11 a.m., Mugham Room SummitTroika High-level Dialogue: Our Roadmap to Mission 1.5 towards a future of shared prosperity At this high-level dialog, the troika states of the COP – Azerbaijan, the UAE and Brazil – present their roadmap for the 1.5-degree target.INFO
Nov. 13, 2024; 1:15 p.m., Natavan Room Side EventUNFCCC: Key reports of the Standing Committee on Finance for COP29 At this side event, UNFCCC will present the most important reports on climate finance issues.INFO
Nov. 13, 2024; 2:30 p.m., German Pavilion/online Side EventDefinding the Defenders – Safeguarding Human Rights and the Environment At this side event at the German Pavilion at COP29, environmental activists talk about the realities of their lives. In 2024 alone, at least 196 environmental activists were murdered. This fact and the ongoing repression should be made visible.INFO
News
Climate Club: Habeck to present standards for green cement
Next Monday, Minister Robert Habeck plans to present a standard for the production of green cement at COP29 in Baku. This is the first important result of the Climate Club initiated by Chancellor Olaf Scholz and officially founded at COP28 in Dubai. Discussions on common standards for green steel are also progressing. The International Energy Agency’s definition serves as a working basis.
It is still unclear how the decarbonization of heavy industries, particularly in the Global South, will be financed. In a joint announcement by some industrialized countries of the Climate Club next week – including Germany and the USA – the first money is already to be promised, it is said in Baku.
In addition, emerging countries with emissions-intensive industries are to be brought together with potential financiers via a matchmaking platform. Chile, Colombia, Indonesia, Kenya and Morocco are already part of the platform and are to receive financial and technical support for decarbonization.
Meanwhile, the Climate Club continues to grow. Croatia, Slovakia, Poland and Bangladesh have joined, bringing the total number of members to 43 countries. luk
Climate Club
COP28
COP29
COP29
Dekarbonisierung
Robert Habeck
CO2 budget: Peak in fossil fuel emissions still not in sight
Global CO2 emissions from the use of fossil fuels will rise again in 2024. There is still “no clear sign” that these emissions will peak, warns a report on the Global Carbon Budget, which was presented at COP29 in Baku on Wednesday. According to the report, there is a 50 percent risk that the CO2 budget to comply with the 1.5-degree limit will be used up in the next six years.
According to the report, fossil CO2 emissions are expected to rise by 0.3 to 1.9 percent to 37.4 billion tons of CO2 this year. Emissions are only expected to fall in 22 countries, such as the USA, the UK and some EU member states. For the EU, the report forecasts a decrease of 3.8 percent. This is mainly due to the expansion of renewable energies and, to a lesser extent, to lower economic output.
Falling emissions in EU countries and in global land use
Further progress has been made with CO2 emissions from land use. Although these remain high, they have fallen by 20 percent over the past ten years. However, climate change has reduced the CO2 storage capacity of land masses by a quarter in the last ten years. Overall, global CO2 emissions have therefore stagnated at 41.6 billion tons of CO2. These are made up of emissions from fossil fuels and changes in land use.
The annual update of the report is currently undergoing peer review and will be published in the journal Earth System Science Data. More than 100 experts have worked on it under the leadership of the University of Exeter. lb
COP29
Permafrost: Irreversible damages if 1.5-degree limit is exceeded
According to many glaciologists, exceeding the 1.5-degree limit will lead to the melting of large parts of the Greenland and West Antarctic ice sheets. This will cause sea levels to rise by ten meters within the next few centuries and threaten many densely populated coastal cities, according to the report “State of the Cryosphere 2024” by the International Cryosphere Climate Initiative. This was presented on Tuesday at the COP29 in Baku.
With the current climate action measures, there is a threat of warming beyond 3.1 degrees. According to the report, this would lead to extreme losses and damage “far beyond the adaptation limits of many communities and countries”. A rise in sea level of around 15 meters is possible by the year 2300. Most glaciers at high altitudes in Asia would disappear, causing major damage to agriculture in the affected regions. In addition, the annual emissions from the thawing permafrost would be similar to those of China.
Only a limit of 1.5 degrees could slow down the melting of the ice to such an extent that coastal and mountain regions could adapt to it. This would stabilize the rate of sea level rise and save up to a third of the glacier mass in Scandinavia and the Alps. “Any exceedance of 1.5 degrees is extremely risky due to feedback from the cryosphere“, the report also warns of overshoot scenarios in which temperatures briefly exceed 1.5 degrees and then fall below it again. This would risk triggering irreversible tipping points such as the melting of the polar ice sheets and a collapse of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC). lb
COP29
COP29: baby steps for methane emissions
At yesterday’s “COP29 Summit on Methane and Non-CO2 GHGs”, only small progress was made in the fight against global methane emissions. The results in detail:
The US climate envoy John Podesta has introduced a penalty fee for methane emissions in the oil and gas sector in the USA. If companies exceed certain limits, they will have to pay $900 per additional ton of methane emissions in the future. The penalty fee is set to rise to $1,500 by 2026. However, it is unclear whether Donald Trump will abolish this fee once he takes office.
Chinadid not present any new initiatives, although it organized the summit together with the USA. Liu Zhenmin, China’s special envoy for climate issues, referred to the Chinese action plan against methane emissions published a year ago. China had started late in taking action against methane emissions and first needed to build up capacities. China also lacks the necessary technologies, said Liu Zhenmin. IEA Director General Fatih Birol indirectly contradictedthis assessment at the summit. He said that all the technologies were available to quickly reduce methane emissions from the energy sector. However, the majority of Chinese emissions come from abandoned coal mines – reducing these emissions is considered more difficult than in the oil and gas sector.
South Korea has presented the ASEAN-Korea Cooperation on Methane Mitigation Project and pledged $20 million.
The UK has pledged $6.5 million to the Climate and Clean Air Coalition’s Fossil Fuel Regulatory Program. Ed Miliband, UK Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net-Zero, said at the summit that oil and gas companies must become more ambitious in reducing methane emissions.
The EU has presented the “Methane Abatement Partnership Roadmap”, which is intended to serve as a blueprint for fossil fuel importing and exporting countries to reduce methane emissions. According to the EU, the roadmap contains “a series of concrete measures, such as a robust monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) system” for methane emissions. nib
COP29
Climate lawsuits: What Shell’s victory in the appeals process means
The British oil and gas company Shell does not have to drastically reduce its CO2 emissions after all. A civil court in The Hague overturned a corresponding climate ruling by the court of first instance and dismissed the lawsuit brought by the environmental organization Milieudefensie. The ruling is considered a victory for the energy company, but Milieudefensie has announced that it will continue to fight. The organization is now likely to appeal to the highest court.
In 2021, a court ruled in favor of Milieudefensie and ordered Shell to reduce its emissions by a net 45% by 2030 compared to 2019 levels. The ruling at the time placed far-reaching responsibilities on the company: According to it, the reduction obligation applied to greenhouse gas emissions along the entire value chain, including emissions from suppliers and customers. These so-called Scope 3 emissions account for around 95 percent of Shell’s total emissions.
The decision at the time was seen as groundbreaking for further climate lawsuits against companies. The Court of Appeal has now ruled differently. Shell does have a duty to support international climate action. However,the company could not be ordered to reduce its CO2 emissions by a specific percentage.
Protection for Shell, ‘some rays of hope’ for the climate
The British investment firm Hargreaves Lansdown assessed the appeal ruling as a “signal to the major emitters that they are safe from the jurisdiction of international framework agreements for the time being“. Sébastien Duyck, lawyer at the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), wrote at the request of Table.Briefings: “Although the ruling temporarily protects Shell from being held directly accountable in court, it also contains positive elements for climate action. It is ‘only a matter of time’ before the big fossil fuel companies (carbon majors) have to take responsibility for the costs and damage they have caused.”
Milieudefensie sees “some rays of hope“ in the appeal ruling:
The court recognized Shell’s individual responsibility for reducing emissions.
It has made it clear that the development of new oil and gas fields is contrary to the Paris Climate Agreement
and “unequivocally emphasized that protection against climate change is a human right“,
that not only states need to protect, but also companies.
Climate lawyer Roda Verheyen, who represents climate lawsuits in Germany against the coal company RWE and the car manufacturer Volkswagen, among others, assesses the ruling similarly: It establishes “very important principles that open the door for civil claims and do not close it“, she responded when asked by Table.Briefings – this also applies to the ongoing proceedings against RWE and Volkswagen in Germany and against Holcim in Switzerland. dpa/ae
Klimaklagen
Exxon: Donald Trump should keep the USA in the Paris Agreement
The CEO of Exxon Mobil, Darren Woods, has apparently spoken out in favor of the USA remaining in the Paris climate agreement – and thus opposed announcements to the contrary by incoming President Donald Trump. This was reported exclusively by the Wall Street Journal.
According to the report, Woods said that a second US withdrawal from the agreement – after 2015 – would create uncertainty and confuse global efforts to halt the worst effects of climate change. It is not helpful for business “if the pendulum swings back and forth with every change of government“, as this is also“extremely inefficient“.
Exxon has publicly supported the goals of the Paris Agreement to date. When POTUS Joe Biden rejoined the agreement in 2021 after Trump’s first withdrawal, the company welcomed this. However, the company is accused of knowing about the dangers of global warming and the role of fossil fuels in climate change as early as the 1970s, but misleading the public for decades.
Woods’ predecessor Rex Tillerson was Secretary of State under Trump in his first term of office from February 2017 to March 2018. For Tillerson, climate change was a “technical problem“ that could also be solved technically. Woods seems to have a similar view: At COP28 in Dubai, he criticized the debate on the end of fossil fuels and promoted fracking – and CCS, which is intended to store climate-damaging emissions once they have been taken out of the atmosphere. As the WSJ reports, Exxon is also increasingly seeking talks about this with the US government. Woods is currently in Baku at the COP29. ae
Klima & Umwelt
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Dessert
At COP28 in Dubai, the “Change Chocolate” was handed out every morning.
A successful COP day usually starts at the entrance to the conference site. One’s badge is scanned and there are usually two friendly-looking lines of people waiting for the visitors. The first line hands the ECO magazine to interested COP attendees. The magazine of the Climate Action Network (CAN) is one of the best and most important sources for what is going on in the negotiating rooms.
The second group used to be even more vital, because it handed out the magic that has already made the COP more bearable on many exhausting days: chocolate. However, just like Olaf Scholz, Emmanuel Macron and Ursula von der Leyen, the otherwise reliable UNFCCC first aiders, who have brought the “Change Chocolate” to the people at past COPs, are conspicuous by their absence in Baku and are causing a serious calorie deficit for observers, negotiators and journalists.
Some say this may be exactly why COP29 got off to such a bumpy start. Chocolate is supposed to make people happy with its Anandamide, Theobromine and Phenylethylamine – the UNFCCC should therefore replenish its stocks as quickly as possible and bring the 1.5-degree chocolate to the COP people. Lukas Knigge
