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The Nairobian

COP29 confronts alarming climate data as global stakes rise

Environment & Climate

By Mactilda Mbenywe | Nov 13, 2024

**The building of COP 29 Summit in Baku on November 10, 2024, on the eve of UN Climate Change Conference.** [AFP]

As world leaders convene in Baku, Azerbaijan, for COP29, UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, issued a warning, describing the moment as humanity’s ‘final countdown’ to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius, a threshold critical to preventing the most catastrophic impacts of climate change.

The call comes on the heels of climate data from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) confirming an alarming reality, of 2024 being on course to becoming the hottest year on record.

According to the WMO, global mean temperatures from January to September have already surpassed pre-industrial levels by an alarming 1.54 Degrees Celsius.

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The intensity of the El Niño effect, which amplifies atmospheric temperatures, has contributed significantly to this spike.

For 16 months, starting in mid-2023, monthly global mean temperatures have broken records set in prior years, making 2023 and 2024 the two warmest years in recorded history.

These temperature rises are driven by record levels of greenhouse gases.

The WMO report states that atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations reached 420 parts per million (ppm) in 2023—a 51 per cent marked increase from pre-industrial levels.

Methane, a potent greenhouse gas, has risen by 165 per cent since the industrial era, reaching 1934 parts per billion (ppb).

This acceleration in temperature is impacting ecosystems, economies, and daily life across the globe.

The repercussions extend from melting glaciers and rising sea levels to extreme heatwaves and catastrophic storms. This is placing communities and infrastructures at severe risk.

Guterres observed the need for countries to commit to reducing emissions at an unprecedented rate.

“No country is spared,” Guterres said, adding, “In our global economy, supply chain shocks raise costs everywhere. Decimated harvests push up food prices everywhere.”

He urged COP29 attendees to pursue an annual 9 per cent reduction in global emissions to remain within the 1.5 Degrees Celsius limit. This is a monumental challenge, given that current trajectories are not close to meeting this target.

“We must cut global emissions nine per cent every year,” Guterres stated, adding that by 2030, emissions should fall by 43 per cent relative to 2019 levels.

He also explained the need for new national climate action plans that align with this goal.

Guterres called for fair and effective carbon markets, a reduction in fossil fuel consumption by 30 per cent by 2030, and a commitment to renewable energy expansion. “The clean energy revolution is here,” he said, stressing that no government or corporation could afford to ignore this shift.

The theme of COP29 is financial responsibility, especially for wealthier nations, which contribute the most to emissions but are often least affected by the immediate consequences.

Guterres drew attention to the vast disparity in emissions, citing that the world’s wealthiest emit more carbon in 90 minutes than an average person produces in a lifetime. “The rich cause the problem, the poor pay the highest price,” he observed, calling it a “story of avoidable injustice”.

He urged developed nations to double their adaptation finance to at least USD40 billion annually by 2025, noting that failure to do so would mean countless lives and livelihoods lost.

The UN boss also stressed that adaptation finance is “not charity; it’s an investment” in the resilience and future stability of the global economy.

He also advocated for climate finance reforms, including concessional funding and debt restructuring for developing countries that struggle under the dual burden of climate disasters and high-cost capital.

The impacts of the escalating temperatures are being felt worldwide. The WMO’s 2024 report shows numerous extreme weather events, many of which have caused extensive loss of life, economic devastation, and displacement.

In East Africa, floods displaced over 500,000 people and destroyed vast areas of farmland, while in Southern Brazil, floods in the state of Rio Grande do Sul caused over 180 deaths and forced 2.3 million people from their homes.

Concurrently, a severe drought across the Americas also devastated crops and dried up rivers, with Mexico seeing a 20-40 per cent reduction in corn yields.

Even more alarming are the global wildfire statistics. Canada and the western United States faced one of their most active wildfire seasons on record, affecting tens of thousands of people and consuming large tracts of forested land.

In February, a wildfire in Chile displaced more than 3,000 people and caused significant property losses. The intensity and frequency of these events underscore the urgent need for climate action and resilience measures.

The Eastern Valencia region in Spain is still smarting from floods that left over 200 people dead, and many displaced. This led to protests and heckling of the monarch.