- Environmentalists slam lobbyist influence on plastic talks
- Global security hotspots awaiting Trump in 2025
- Eddie Jones tells Japan to keep faith after heavy defeats
- Five forgotten conflicts of 2024
- Adani Group says it lost nearly $55 bn as US charges sparked rout
- Bumper election year brings headwinds for liberal democracies
- New Zealand pace bowler Smith to make debut in first England Test
- Protesters for jailed ex-PM Khan cleared from Pakistan capital's centre
- 'Very, very slow': plastic treaty talks grind forward
- Australian cop guilty of manslaughter after tasering 95-year-old
- Trump names trade envoy, top economic advisor to fill policy team
- China expected to hit peak coal consumption in 2025: report
- What to expect from the new EU top team's first 100 days
- New EU commission to get all clear as daunting task awaits
- German family winery taps into zero-alcohol trend
- World leaders react to Lebanon war ceasefire
- Paddington: the affable bear who became a lucrative business
- Hand-built fantasy tower brings value to Tokyo, creator says
- Asian markets mixed as traders eye fresh trade tensions
- Ceasefire begins in Israel-Hezbollah war
- Banned Ryan Garcia eyes New Year's Eve exhibition in Japan
- In US, a guitar trademark feud gets political
- China investigates defence minister for corruption: report
- 'American Railroad' musical project showcases untold immigrant stories
- Future of deep-sea mining stands at a crucial juncture
- Australia marks 10 years since death of cricketer Phillip Hughes
- Russia accuses UK diplomat of spying in fresh diplomatic spat
- Teen who lied about beheaded French teacher's class says 'sorry'
- Drake takes Kendrick Lamar rap feud to US courts
- Bolivia announces $1 bn deal with China to build lithium plants
- NFL-best Chiefs and Lions face short-rest US holiday test
- Alleged smuggler had meth-soaked cow onesie in suitcase: US officials
- Man City blow three-goal lead in Champions League, Bayern beat PSG
- Arsenal deliver Champions League statement of intent: Arteta
- Man City not 'stable', says Guardiola after Feyenoord collapse
- League fines Hawks $100,000 for Young missing NBA Cup game
- Man City blow 3-0 lead to extend winless run in Feyenoord thriller
- Kim heads Bayern past 10-man PSG to dent Champions League hopes
- Lewandowski hits Champions League century as Barca beat Brest
- Inter take Champions League lead with narrow win over Leipzig
- Arsenal crush Sporting in Champions League to extend revival
- Ceasefire in Israel-Hezbollah war to take effect
- Egyptian clubs go on scoring sprees in CAF Champions League
- Biden hails Lebanon ceasefire deal as 'good news'
- Brazil's Bolsonaro 'participated' in 2022 coup plot against Lula: police
- Barcelona striker Lewandowski scores 100th Champions League goal
- Autos, food: What are the risks from Trump's tariff threat?
- Alvarez, Correa net braces as Atletico thrash Sparta Prague
- Trump brings back government by social media
- Animal rights activist on FBI 'most wanted terrorist' list arrested
RBGPF | 100% | 60.1 | $ | |
SCS | -1.33% | 13.54 | $ | |
BCC | -2.76% | 148.41 | $ | |
CMSC | -0.65% | 24.57 | $ | |
RIO | -1.53% | 62.03 | $ | |
NGG | -0.68% | 62.83 | $ | |
GSK | -0.38% | 34.02 | $ | |
CMSD | -0.61% | 24.43 | $ | |
BTI | 1.01% | 37.71 | $ | |
AZN | -0.06% | 66.36 | $ | |
RELX | 0.51% | 46.81 | $ | |
BCE | -1.46% | 26.63 | $ | |
JRI | -0.98% | 13.24 | $ | |
RYCEF | -0.29% | 6.78 | $ | |
BP | -1.24% | 28.96 | $ | |
VOD | -0.56% | 8.86 | $ |
World leaders meet for climate talks, but big names missing
Dozens of world leaders convene in Azerbaijan on Tuesday for COP29 but many big names are skipping the UN climate talks where the impact of Donald Trump's election victory is keenly felt.
More than 75 leaders are expected in Baku over two days but the heads of some of the most powerful and polluting economies are not attending this year's summit.
Just a handful of leaders from the G20 -- which accounts for nearly 80 percent of planet-heating greenhouse gas emissions -- are expected in Baku, including UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
"This government believes that climate security is national security," his Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said on X on Monday.
Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, Narendra Modi and Emmanuel Macron are among G20 leaders missing the event, where uncertainty over future US unity on climate action hung over the opening day.
Washington's top climate envoy sought to reassure countries in Baku that Trump's re-election would not end US efforts on global warming, even if it would be "on the back burner".
UN climate chief Simon Stiell also appealed to solidarity, kicking talks off on Monday by urging countries to "show that global cooperation is not down for the count".
But the opening day got off to a rocky start, with feuds over the official agenda delaying by hours the start of formal proceedings in the stadium venue near the Caspian Sea.
Later in the evening, governments approved new UN standards for a global carbon market in a key step toward allowing countries to trade credits to meet their climate targets.
COP29 president Mukhtar Babayev hailed a "breakthrough" after years of complex discussions, but more work is needed before a long-sought UN-backed market can be fully realised.
- Difficult negotiations -
The top priority at COP29 however is landing a hard-fought deal to boost funding for climate action in developing countries.
These nations -- from low-lying islands to fractured states at war -- are least responsible for climate change but most at risk from rising seas, extreme weather and economic shocks.
Some are pushing for the existing pledge of $100 billion a year to be raised ten-fold at COP29 to cover the future cost of their nations shifting to clean energy and adapting to climate shocks.
Babayev, a former oil executive, told negotiators that trillions may be needed, but a figure in the hundreds of billions was more "realistic".
Nations have haggled over this for years, with disagreements over how much should be paid, and who should pay it, making meaningful progress next to impossible ahead of COP29.
"These will not be easy negotiations, perhaps the most challenging since Paris," said Germany's climate negotiator Jennifer Morgan.
Developing countries warn that without adequate finance, they will struggle to offer ambitious updates to their climate goals, which countries are required to submit by early next year.
The small group of developed countries that currently contributes the money wants the donor pool expanded to include other rich nations and top emitters, including China and the Gulf states, something firmly rejected by Beijing.
Stiell warned rich countries to "dispense with any idea that climate finance is charity".
Around 50,000 people are attending summit in Azerbaijan, a petrostate wedged between Russia and Iran, including the leaders of many African, Asian and Latin American countries beset by climate disasters.
V.Dantas--PC