COP29 climate summit begins today in Baku. Will it be the last for the U.S.?
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Experts Say UN Climate Talks Need Urgent Overhaul
Above: Participants walk past a logo of COP29, UN Climate Change Conference, an event held by UNFCCC in Baku Olympic Stadium. Image copyright: Dominika Zarzycka/SOPA Images/Contributor/LightRocket via Getty Images
The Facts
In a letter to the UN, key climate experts and leaders, including former UN chief Ban Ki-moon and climate scientist Johan Rockström, said that the annual Conferences of the Parties (COP) summits need an overhaul as they are "no longer fit for purpose."
Insisting that the COP's "current structure simply cannot deliver" and that host nations must support phasing out fossil fuels, climate watchers have called for more transparency and restrictions on fossil fuel lobbying.
The Spin
Narrative A
In an era of mounting climate catastrophe, the COP summits have become monuments to ineffectuality and theatrical posturing. Delegates recite well-worn lines while fossil fuel executives lurk in the wings, pulling strings. From the UAE's oil baron presidency to Azerbaijan's divine praise of natural gas, these summits have devolved into fossil fuel trade fairs masquerading as climate action.
Narrative B
Despite criticism, COP summits remain vital catalysts for climate justice, particularly through their focus on the blue economy. They drive crucial investments in sustainable aquatic resources, from small-scale fisheries to coastal tourism, offering lifelines to vulnerable communities. With innovative financing and support for developing nations, they're transforming from talk shops into powerful engines of equitable environmental and economic change.