UN 
(SDGTALKING) – Dilek Kaya – On the third day of the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP29, critical talks and discussions on the climate crisis continue in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku. During Tuesday’s session, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres described the past year as a “master class in climate destruction” and stressed that time is running out. “The sound you hear is the ticking of a clock,” Guterres said, adding that he is hopeful about the transition to clean energy and that “no group, company or government” can stop the process.
Harsh criticism from Greta Thunberg
Prominent Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg decided not to attend the summit. Speaking at a protest in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi on Monday, Thunberg described COP29 host Azerbaijan as an “authoritarian petro-state” and called the organization of the summit in Baku “beyond absurd”. Thunberg’s comments sparked criticism of the summit.
UK Prime Minister Starmer and emissions targets
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer stood out among the leaders attending the summit. Starmer, who is expected to address delegates on Tuesday and Wednesday, is expected to announce a new target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2035. He is also expected to stress that the UK can regain climate leadership following the re-election of Donald Trump as president in the US.
Shell decision appealed in the Netherlands
As the climate summit continues, an important decision was made in the Netherlands on Tuesday. An appeals court overturned an earlier decision requiring Shell to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 45% from 2019 levels by 2030. This development has highlighted the ongoing battle over the climate responsibility of large corporations.
Trump’s environmental policies
Former US President Donald Trump has taken a new step in environmental policy by appointing former Republican Congressman Lee Zeldin to head the Environmental Protection Agency. It has been said that Zeldin will try to loosen environmental restrictions on US companies.
Criticism from Lukashenko: “Why aren’t there countries with big responsibilities here?”
Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko, who attended the summit, emphasized the responsibility of developed countries in the climate crisis and reacted to the absences. “How effective can these meetings be if not even the president of France, who is responsible for the Paris Agreement, is here?” said Lukashenko, calling on world leaders to pay more attention to climate commitments.
Notable absence of key leaders
The list of leaders who did not attend COP29 is quite long. The absence of leaders from critical countries such as the U.S., Russia, China, India and France at the summit, where global action and financial solutions to the climate crisis are being discussed, has raised questions about the future of climate commitments.
US President Joe Biden did not attend this year’s summit. Neither did Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, or French President Emmanuel Macron. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz decided not to attend the summit after the collapse of the ruling coalition last week.
Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof opted to stay in the country in light of the recent attacks on Israeli soccer fans in Amsterdam and decided not to attend the summit to discuss the fallout from the incidents. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva also skipped the summit, canceling a planned visit due to a head injury he suffered last month.
