COP29: What happened on day nine of the UN climate conference?

We're wrapping up the live blog for today, thanks for joining us. Later tonight and early tomorrow we are expecting a new set of presidency texts. Will they finally get things moving? Only time will tell.

Here's what you missed today:

• Argentina clarified that it won't be abandoning the Paris Agreement.
• The UN, UNESCO and the Brazillian government announced a new initiative to combat climate disinformation that is impeding global progress.
• 25 countries and the EU launched a call to action for no new coal in national climate plans. These initial signatories will put forward NDCs with no new unabated coal in their energy systems and call on others to do the same. 
• Denmark has come top of an annual climate performance index released at COP29 today - but the first three spots of the ranking have once again been left empty with no country doing enough to earn a place.
• The COP29 presidency has said to expect new texts overnight. It plans to release a draft agreement on a bitterly fought new climate finance goal in a bid to break the deadlock over who pays and how much.
• The EU was given the Fossil of the Day award by the Climate Action Network for failing to "flash the cash" for climate finance.

We'll be back tomorrow morning to see if these much-anticipated texts give the talks a boost or if we're still stuck going in circles.

The EU has been named Fossil of the Day at COP29.

"Today's Fossil is awarded to a group of countries that don't understand the concept of inflation and feign deafness to the calls for ambition," says Climate Action Network International (CAN), the network of civil society groups which hands out the award.

"The EU’s high historical emissions and the concept of common but differentiated responsibility means they should be leading with ambition. But word on the street is that EU negotiators are floating a seriously underwhelming quantum of $200-300 billion annually. To put into context, when accounting for inflation, this would mean no additional public finance compared to the $100 billion goal set 15 years ago."

Though this number has been floating around, Azerbaijan’s lead negotiator Yalchin Rafiyev has said no figure has been communicated to the presidency.

Today’s Fossil is awarded to a group of countries that don’t understand the concept of inflation and feign deafness to the calls for ambition. Despite their deep pockets, they are not flashing the cash.

The EU owes a climate debt to the Global South - its time to #PayUp pic.twitter.com/8T6LfPt19A

— Climate Action Network International (CAN) (@CANIntl) November 20, 2024

CAN also calls the EU for "wanting to rely on the private sector to move the trillions" but says it has been proven time and time again that private finance can't be relied upon.

"Yes, we need new sources for climate finance but there are such things as bad ideas," they say.

"The EU is going rogue – Sweden and Hungary are blurring the lines between carbon markets and climate finance for developing countries but we see through these attempts to spread climate colonialism.

"The EU’s objection for the climate finance goal to include clear sub-goals for adaptation and loss and damage is standing in the way of finance reaching those who need it most. We won’t stand for the alternate reality the EU is pushing, they owe a climate debt to the Global South and it's time to pay up." 

During UN climate talks, members of CAN vote for countries judged to have done their ‘best’ to block progress in the negotiations.

A dishonourable mention was also given to Switzerland. As one of the richest countries globally, CAN says "It's time they paid for the damage they are causing".

A Solidarity for Justice award was also given to Ukraine for the country's resilience through more than 1,000 days of war.

As negotiators await Azerbaijan’s proposal for a global agreement on climate finance, the EU holds firm on the need to move away from fossil fuels but refuses to say how much it is prepared to help developing countries do the same.   

Media reports have touted a deal aiming for $2-300bn in ‘core’ financing – compared to the current $100bn – from developed countries, but Azerbaijan’s lead negotiator Yalchin Rafiyev gave the sum little credence.

“No figure has been communicated to us,” he said.

COP29: EU commissioner rejects backtracking on climate deal

As negotiators await Azerbaijan’s proposal for a global agreement on climate finance, the EU holds firm on the need to move away from fossil fuels, but……

At midnight tonight, the COP29 presidency plans to release a draft agreement on a bitterly fought new climate finance goal in a bid to break the deadlock over who pays and how much.

The round-the-clock nature of the negotiations as the COP29 summit nears its scheduled close on Friday reflects the desire of the Azerbaijan presidency to clinch a deal on its watch.

Amid the growing frustration over slow progress, Euronews's Robert Hodgson asked Azerbaijan's lead negotiator Yalchin Rafiyev whether a bad deal was better for Baku than no deal at all.

Azerbaijan promises late night compromise for climate finance goal

The COP29 presidency plans to release a draft agreement on a bitterly fought new climate finance goal in a bid to break the deadlock over who pays and……

We told you earlier that Denmark had come out on top in a ranking of countries' climate performances.

With two member states at the top of the ranking, the EU is in the upper middle of the index. Unlike in previous editions, there are no member states with an overall very low rating.

The bloc slipped down one spot in the rankings but has made major progress on climate protection - spurred on by the Green Deal. Measures, however, don’t yet amount to a fair share of global greenhouse gas emissions cuts.

To find out why certain countries are leading the pack, we took a closer look at the Climate Change Performance Index's full ranking.

New ranking puts Denmark on top for climate performance

Authors of the ranking say the EU’s performance shows the effect of the Green Deal but more still needs to be done to cut the bloc’s fair share of greenhouse……

Panama's Climate Envoy Juan Carlos Monterrey Gomez has slammed military spending in the face of climate finance requirements.

During an address at the main plenary hall, he emphasised that global military spending currently stands at $2.5 trillion a year.

"For some $2.5 trillion to kill each other, it's not enough, but one trillion to save lives is unreasonable," he said. "Causing our own extinction is the most ridiculous thing. At least the dinosaurs had an asteroid. What is our excuse?"

Yesterday, Ukraine marked 1,000 days of Russia's full-scale invasion at the climate summit. Environment minister Svitlana Grynchuk laid out the environmental damages from the war so far from 3 million hectares of forest destroyed to 139,000 square kilometres contaminated by explosive residue.

"More than six million Ukrainians were forced to temporarily seek refuge in various European countries, resulting in an additional 3.3 million tonnes of CO2 emissions," she said.

In total, Ukraine estimates the bill for environmental damages is now $71 billion with an additional 180 million tonnes of carbon dioxide released because of the war.

Ukraine tallies environmental damages from 1,000 days of war at COP29

As central as environmental destruction is to Ukraine’s story at COP29, its pavilion is also a showcase for green restoration.…

During a session where negotiators shared their progress earlier today, AP reports that Australian climate minister Chris Bowen said he had heard a variety of different amounts for how much cash should be in the climate finance pot.

Developing countries say they need $1.3 trillion a year but other nations have proposed figures from $440 billion to $900 billion. Bowen is one of the ministers leading talks on the climate finance goal.

Diego Balanza, the chair of the Like-Minded Group negotiating bloc, said the group was also hearing a figure of $200 billion in negotiating corridors. He says that isn't enough and developed nations continue to "shift their responsibility".

The EU's Wopke Hoekstra said it was important to determine the elements first "so that you can have an informed conversation about what an ambitious and also realistic number could be".

With some saying a final figure needs to be agreed before other details of the deal can be worked out, the frustration is palpable.

As Alden Meyer of the European think tank E3G said, the word of the day at the summit is "circles...as in going around in circles".

Lead negotiator Yalchin Rafiyev has given a new timeframe for talks in Baku.

At a press conference today he said we can expect a new set of presidency texts soon - including the NCQG, action to cut emissions, adaptation and national climate plans. These texts are all a part of the process at each summit which brings countries closer to a final deal at the end of the two weeks.

"We are grateful to the parties for showing they have the appetite for a deal," Rafiyev said, "but now the hardest part begins."

Rashad Nabiyev, Minster development and transport Azerbaijan, left, and Yalchin Rafiyev, Azerbaijan's COP29 lead negotiator, speak at a press conference. Credit: AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool

They are aiming to release some of these texts at around midnight tonight and more tomorrow which will contain options to include the views of different parties. Rafiyev said they will be shorter, more concise and straight to the point compared to earlier versions, some of which swelled to more than 30 pages. But, he reminds us, "These texts are not final".

Rafiyev emphasised that these new draft texts will be "an important step" and "must be considered as a package" but confirmed that work was not taking place on a cover text - a broad agreement from COPs that usually sends some kind of political message.

Yesterday, representatives for small island nations lamented the state of negotiations over financing at COP29.

Michai Robertson, a key negotiator for small island nations expressed frustration at an apparent lack of willingness for rich countries to make a bigger commitment to help.

“Across the board, everyone is trying to position themselves to get the best outcome in finance,” Robertson said, suggesting different blocs were using tit-for-tat negotiating tactics in areas such as mitigation, adaptation and transparency.

“We do feel abandoned,” he said when asked about the impact of climate change that is already being felt.

“And you have all the developed countries saying that we cannot include in the scope of this goal the financing to address that loss and damage. That's a really tough pill to swallow."

COP29: Small island states ‘feel abandoned’ as climate talks grind on

Representative for small island nations laments state of negotiations over financing at COP29.…

The UN has launched a new initiative to counter climate disinformation.

“We must fight the coordinated disinformation campaigns impeding global progress on climate change, ranging from outright denial to greenwashing to harassment of climate scientists," said UN Secretary-General António Guterres.

"Through this initiative, we will work with researchers and partners to strengthen action against climate disinformation.”

In 2022 the IPCC recognised this risk, saying that the “deliberate undermining of science” was contributing to “misperceptions of the scientific consensus, uncertainty, disregarded risk and urgency, and dissent.” 

The initiative, announced yesterday at the G20 Leaders' Summit in Brazil, is a collaboration between the UN, UNESCO and the Brazillian government. President Lula said that "actions to combat climate change are also greatly affected by denialism and disinformation."

But, he added, countries can't tackle this problem on their own.

The initiative aims to strengthen international collaboration on research and communication to tackle disinformation like fake news or rumours that can hinder actions to mitigate climate change. Money will also be set aside to be distributed as grants for non-governmental organisations conducting research on climate information integrity, developing communication strategies, and carrying out public awareness campaigns. 

So far, Chile, Denmark, France, Morocco, the United Kingdom and Sweden have already confirmed participation.

25 countries and the European Union have launched a call to action for no new coal in national climate plans.

These initial signatories have announced their intention to put forward national climate plans - also known as nationally determined contributions (NDCs) - that reflect no new unabated coal in their energy systems and call on others to do the same. They are encouraging all countries to bring an end to new coal power in the lead-up to COP30 in Brazil next year.

“The commitment to 'transition away from fossil fuels' needs to turn into real steps on the ground. A large majority of countries have already turned their backs on coal power, opting for affordable, reliable, clean energy instead, but globally coal power is still growing," said Wopke Hoekstra, European Commissioner for Climate Action.

"This ought to change. New coal power is one of the biggest threats to keeping 1.5°C within reach. The EU is pleased to support, throughout the next year leading to COP30, a diverse coalition of countries fully committed to anchor an end of new coal power in their upcoming NDCs.”

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has clear that there is no space for new unabated coal in a 1.5°C or even 2°C aligned pathway, yet coal capacity rose by 2 per cent last year. 

UK energy secretary Ed Miliband said the call to action sends a clear signal from countries around the world that new coal needs to end by 2030.

"This year Britain became the first G7 country to phase out coal power as part of our drive to make the UK a clean energy superpower," he said "But the use of coal is still growing around the world and poses one of the biggest threats to keeping 1.5C within reach." 

The full list of countries backing the call for no new coal power is: Angola, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Italy, Malta, Morocco, the Netherlands, Norway, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Uganda, UK, Uruguay, Vanuatu and the European Union. 

Denmark has come top of an annual climate performance index released at COP29 today - but the first three spots of the ranking have once again been left empty with no country doing enough to earn a place.

Published since 2005, the Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) ranks the world's largest emitters based on emissions, renewable energy and climate policy. The 63 countries plus the EU that it assesses cover 90 per cent of the world's annual emissions.

This year, it paints a mixed picture. Though 61 of the 64 countries have increased their share of renewables in their energy mix over the last five years, 20 are still rated low or very low. A "worrisome trend" of energy inequality that shows how deployment of renewables is largely concentrated in some countries and regions with others completely left out.

The top three spots remain empty with no country doing enough to earn a ranking that high. Denmark came fourth as the only country to achieve a 'high performance' rating for its climate policy - but still not good enough to get first, second or third place.

Denmark is followed by the Netherlands - though the ranking notes that the country's new government bodes ill for climate policy. And this year's biggest climber, the UK takes the sixth spot. Its coal phase-out and the government’s pledge against new licences for fossil fuel projects played a key role in its rise.

Progress isn't visible elsewhere, however. Argentina is one of the biggest losers of this year's CCPI with the ranking's authors saying it shows how a change in government can cause step change in the wrong direction.

"The CCPI is telling a very consistent story over and over again," Janet Milongo, senior manager for energy transition at Climate Action Network International told a press conference at COP29 today.

"This is the 20th edition of this index and it is really time for countries to pay attention to what the CCPI and very many other reports are revealing."

Milongo said that one glaring story coming out of the index is progressive targets paired with strong climate policies are really the foundation which allows countries to transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy. Paired with energy efficiency to create a cleaner more affordable, flexible energy system, this is why Denmark is leading the pack.

There is growing unease among some NGOs and parties to the COP29 negotiations over the potential role of carbon markets in the climate finance goal that governments are expected to agree by the end of the summit.

COP29 participants were greeted by a small – as all protests within the venue necessarily are - but vocal protest on the way in this morning, with activists from developing countries chanting “Stop selling us out!” and “You can't fool us.”

Their argument is that paying developing countries to cut emissions so rich ones can count the reduction towards meeting their nationally determined contributions (their emissions reduction pledges in the framework of the Paris Agreement) has no net benefit.

“It's not an absolute emissions reduction at all, it's just a displacement emission - it's an offset, essentially,” said Kirtana Chandrasekaran, here as an official observer on behalf of Friends of the Earth International.



Climate campaigners have long been sceptical about offsetting, and the EU is introducing legislation to outlaw the worst types of greenwashing.

“Developing countries have been calling for real grant-based finance for a decade now, and there's been nothing on the table,” Chandrasekaran said. “And so it is a desperation move, because the only financing that is coming now is coming with this carbon offset mechanism.”

Host Azerbaijan brokered a deal on the rules for a global carbon market right at the start of the COP, but now discussions are moving to the political level, with ministers gathering in Baku. “They need to take it out. We need a firewall between any discussion on carbon markets and the discussion on finance,” Chandrasekaran said.

Argentina caused a stir last week when it withdrew its representatives after just three days of the summit.

It sparked talks of the country's climate denier President Javier Milei withdrawing the country from the Paris Agreement. He has previously called climate change a "socialist lie" and doesn't believe human activity is the main cause of global warming.

But Foreign Minister Gerardo Werthein has now told El Observador that Argentina won't be leaving the pact.

"We are simply reevaluating our position," he said as there are some parts of the Paris Agreement Milei's government doesn't agree with.

COP29 (hopefully) ends this week and time is running out for countries to come to an agreement on climate finance.

COP29 President Mukhtar Babayev has asked negotiators to clear away technical parts of the talks by Wednesday afternoon so that the focus can shift to the substance of a deal.

But there are big questions that need to be answered: How much money, what form it takes and who pays it are still up in the air. How much is the question that will likely have to be answered first.

A total of between $200 and $300bn has reportedly been explored by the EU - far less than the trillions a year developing nations say they need. Some wealthy nations have pitched loans as an option but poorer countries say they are already drowning in debt.

As the G20 summit wrapped up in Rio, Brazil, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reminded leaders of the world's biggest economies that "the success of COP29 is largely in your hands".

Good morning, we're here for day nine with all the latest from COP29. Negotiations are still crawling along as we reach the final stretch of the summit in Baku. Yesterday, the G20 summit in Rio sent mixed signals to negotiators in Baku.

UN climate chief Simon Stiell said the communique delivered a clear message to secure a successful new finance goal. But many were hoping for stronger language on fossil fuels.

Here's what you missed from day eight.

COP29: What happened on day eight of the UN climate conference?

Euronews Green brings you the latest updates from the UN climate conference in Baku, Azerbaijan.…