COP29 Baku: First few days recap

Áine Dempsey and Molly O’Shea from Young Friends of the Earth with other COP29 youth delegates

While COP29 has officially been open for two days, for the three Friends of the Earth Ireland delegates it feels like it’s been much longer!

We’ve been attending planning meetings for actions, daily briefs, plenary meetings, Irish delegation meetings, eating local baked goods, getting lost both inside and outside the venue, and taking part in media calls.
Áine Dempsey and Molly O’Shea from Young Friends of the Earth shared their Instagram explainer on the events of the first day.

The mood at COP29 is one of determination from the climate justice groups. There has been an embargo on activism until the 14th November, except for one extra-ordinary action to highlight the plight of the Palestinian people suffering genocide in Palestine, however the reality is there is no climate justice, without freedom and peace for all. We can’t stand in solidarity with a cause that is our own- we are all impacted. Strong calls to recognise the interconnected struggle of the climate crises and war and conflict, which are all driven by fossil fuels interests and colonial activity.

Photo credit: Bianka Csenki- The Artivist Network

“This is not war, this is not conflict, it is Genocide” - Muhammed Usrof, Palestinian Youth Climate Negotiations Lead

Day One of COP raised serious concerns on procedure with the gavelling through of ARTICLE 6, and the the message sent to the world about precedence being set on process, accountability and democracy. (press release by DCJ)

With long delays and disagreements on the setting of the Agenda, we wondered what was happening behind the scenes of the negotiations.

“The gavelling through of carbon markets on the first day of COP29 is unacceptable and undermines the credibility of the whole process. Further, it is opening the floodgates for a global carbon market that will have devastating impacts on communities in the Global South, on Indigenous Peoples, and on small peasant farmers first and foremost. Carbon markets are not climate finance, and we cannot accept these neocolonial schemes to be propped as a success of COP29 in lieu of paying the climate debt owed to the Global South”  - Lise Masson, Friends of the Earth International.

The Global Campaign to Demand Climate Justice (DCJ) and The Climate Justice Coalition held a press conference on day one where countries from the Global South raised the demand of $5 trillion per year, with “quality” finance provided by grants from public funds, not loans from private investors. The issue and test of these negotiations will tell if the Global North are serious about Climate change and act to mitigate what will be absolute catastrophe if we do not reduce emissions now- fairly and by acting fast. The Global North have shown their capacity to mobalise funds of $16 Trillion in order to protect their economy for COVID-19, spend trillions on financing war, the figure of 5 trillion is an investment in the future and resilience of communities who have carried the Global Norths development on their backs.

 

For the Friends of the Earth Ireland team, day two kicked off with attending a press conference on the issue of Climate Justice and Palestine with panellists from Oil Change International, Asian Peoples’ Movement on Debt and Development, Global Campaign to Demand Climate Justice, and two young people from Palestine speaking about the issues of biodiversity loss, food sovereignty, land grabbing and genocide.

“The fossil fuel industry has been exploiting and extracting and having an unending hunger for profit. It has driven climate change and that is why we are here, deepened inequality and devastated ecosystems. But today we face an even greater reality”, said Shady Khallil, Oil Change International who have recently launched new research on COP Troika nations, Brazil, UAE and Azerbaijan and plans to expand oil and gas production.

He went on to explain the link between the exportation of fossil fuel to military activity, naming Azerbaijan, Israel and places in the US such as Corpus Christi in fuelling “colonial violence under the disguise of economic interest. The fight for climate justice is inseparable from the fight against colonialism, occupation and military oppression. The same systems that extract the oil from the earth fund also bombs that drop on us. Corporations like BP, Chevron. Exxon mobile and shell which control 35% of the shipment that we rank as complicit in genocide.”

The collective call for countries to be held accountable will be a continuing theme over the next two weeks. The naming of the fossil fuels industries relentless pursuit of profits that cost lives and a call to dismantle colonial systems and occupation show the connected struggle for climate justice.

In-between meetings, planning sessions, press conferences and stopping to recharge phones and eating some gorp and pastries to recharge the bodies we reflected on the progress of the events so far. Then it was on to meet the Irish delegation for a meeting with youth delegates, civil society and NGOs and businesses. Trocaire, Christian Aid and Friends of the Earth raised the issue of fair financing, the need for public funds and to ensure that any type of finance does not push developing countries and communities into further debt. Young Friends of the Earth pushed the issue of the support for Small Island Developing States. Check out their interview with the Irish Mirror

Day three (feels like day 5) began with a press conference from DCJ on the concern of the overinflated the trust in carbon markets acting as a viable and legitimate solution to the climate crisis. Serious concerns carried through to day two in relation to the outcomes of the day before. False solutions should concern us all- from creating a platform for business and top polluters to maintain ‘business as usual’, without seeing actual reductions in the output of emissions; the promotion of the imagined geo-engineering solutions which could pave the way for absolute disaster.

Tom Goldtooth, Executive Director of the Indigenous Environmental Network, spoke powerfully about the attack on inherent rights and dignity on indigenous people across the world. He mentioned that there has already been 30 years fighting for environmental and economic justice, and 20 years of failed carbon market all contributing to the loss of indigenous rights, “Mother Earth is not a commodity, she is not for sale.

“Carbon markets are not climate finance; they are a gift to the fossil fuel industry to continue polluting while leaving the door wide open for rampant proliferation of dangerous and unscientific false solutions such as geoengineering, ‘offsetting’ and carbon capture” - Dylan Hamilton

 

Tomorrow will be the first day of Actions