As we wait for day nine to get going it is worth looking back at the closing summary from yesterday when the overriding feeling from negotiators was frustration as progress continued to prove elusive. Let’s hope for more positive news today.
Yesterday’s closing summary:
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As day eight began, the climate talks entered the phase known as the ‘valley of death’
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Raising funds to finance climate fight is feasible, economists say from my colleague Fiona Harvey
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Cop was boosted as G20 reaffirms transition from fossil fuels, although some felt the Brazil meeting could have gone much further
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Analysis showed that hundreds of lobbyists for industrial agriculture were attending the Cop29 climate summit in Baku
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UK, New Zealand, and Colombia join coalition to phase out fossil fuel subsidies
Away from Cop29 my colleagues at the Guardian have pulled together a striking article outlining the real world consequences of the escalating climate crisis. Outlining the extent of rising temperatures and more extreme rainfall it is essential reading – and a stark reminder of why rapid action is needed to rapidly reduce emissions.
Patrick Greenfield
Argentina to stay in the Paris agreement – foreign minister
It’s day nine at the Cop29 talks in Baku and the swarms of delegates have started to thin. The morning queues are not as long. Tired negotiators have been working late into the night as the climate summit builds to a crescendo.
One delegation that will not be in the room for the end of Cop29 is Argentina who withdrew their representatives after just three days. The South American country, led by the climate denier Javier Milei, had said it was contemplating leaving the Paris agreement after it made the decision. There have been rumours that the country was set to announce its departure within days, particularly when Milei became the first world leader to meet Donald Trump since his reelection.
But now, the country’s foreign minister Gerardo Werthein has said they are staying. Speaking to El Observador, he said that the country was simply reevaluating its position given that they disagreed with parts of the Paris agreement. But Argentina will not leave the accord, he said.
Last week, observers privately wondered if the chainsaw-wielding libertarian had simply been showing off to get attention from his fans abroad. Milei – one of the most prolific world leaders on X – has been reposting memes hinting that he was minded to block the mention of climate change in G20 declarations but ultimately did not.
Last week’s decision to remove its representatives has started to have consequences for delegates from civil society who sometimes get their accreditation from their home countries.
Tais Gadea Lara, a climate reporter from Argentina, posted photos on social media of civil society representatives who had their access cancelled due to Argentina’s withdrawal from Cop29. Other delegations are helping them out, she reports, but it is a reminder of the vast network of people that come to these summits all working towards the same thing.
Good morning. Day nine at Cop29 and we’ll be following all the developments here. I’m Matthew Taylor, please send me your thoughts and suggestions at matthew.taylor@theguardian.com
