To many, COP29 seemed doomed from the start.
The annual United Nations summit on climate change was hosted in Azerbaijan, an oil-rich nation that has, according to some reports, used its position as conference host to pursue more “investment opportunities” for its state-owned oil and gas company. Ahead of the conference in August, Papua New Guinea pulled out, with the prime minister calling it a “waste of time”. Greta Thunberg sat out as well. Rich nations have not yet committed to a strong climate financing deal. The election of Donald Trump, whose incoming administration denies the climate crisis entirely, only buried hopes further.
