Baku, Azerbaijan and Toronto, Canada – At COP29, the UN climate change conference in Baku, world leaders must boldly respond to another year of record temperatures and rising emissions by agreeing to strong new fiscal targets to support much-needed climate action in developing countries.
Keith Stewart, Chief Energy Strategist at Greenpeace Canada, said:With the United States in turmoil, it is more important than ever for Canada to take a leadership role. Canadians are experiencing the costs of inaction on climate change as wildfires and floods force people from their homes and the cost of living rises. “It’s time to finally make large polluters like oil companies pay for the loss and damage they cause.”
Jasper Inventor, Head of Greenpeace International Delegation, said: “As climate records continue to break down, from soaring emissions to rising temperatures and worsening impacts, we have reached a breaking point. For too long, calls for quick, bold action have been met by meek responses from too many global leaders. This has to change!
“People are dying as cities collapse from storms and floods, but the lifeline of hope lies in responding to climate change. But action depends on climate finance and holding polluters accountable. Fossil fuel companies and large polluters must finally pay for the loss and damage they cause. Leaders have the power to enforce this justice and must act now.
“The rescue plan is the COP28 decision to transition away from fossil fuels. This is the path that should yield an ambitious 2035 climate action plan to phase out coal, oil and gas. “Our climate is critical to sustaining life, and our political leaders must step up and take the urgent action needed.”
At COP29, Greenpeace demands:
- The New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG), an ambitious fiscal goal, seeks to significantly expand public finances for developing countries for adaptation, mitigation, loss and damage, and ensure that fossil fuel industries and other major polluters pay for them.
- Implementing the COP28 agreement to transition away from fossil fuels, including how countries align their 2030 and 2035 climate action plans to the 1.5°C target.
- Prevents poor outcomes from offsets and carbon markets to protect and restore high integrity carbon density ecosystems.
Tracy Carty, climate politics expert at Greenpeace International, said: “NCQG will determine who will pay the skyrocketing costs of climate action over the next decade and beyond, and whether the countries and communities least responsible for creating the climate crisis will get the support they urgently need and deserve. It is expected that conditions will be set.
“As the human costs of inaction rise, the trillions of dollars in subsidies and profits the fossil fuel industry receives will eclipse climate finance for developing countries. NCQG must correct this injustice and make polluters pay for the harm and damage they have caused.
“Climate action plans for developing countries require trillions of dollars. “The headline outcome of the NCQG should be a clear commitment from rich developed countries to significantly increase public finances to support developing countries to respond to growing climate impacts and the transition to renewable energy.”
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Notes to editors:
Greenpeace COP29 Media Briefing
For more information, please contact:
Laura Bergamo, Communications Campaigner, Greenpeace Canada [email protected] ; +1 438 928-5237
Aaron Gray-Block, Climate Political Communications Specialist, Greenpeace International; [email protected]
Gaby Flores, Communications Coordinator, Greenpeace International, +1 214 454 3871; [email protected]
Greenpeace International Press Desk, +31 (0)20 718 2470 (available 24 hours a day); [email protected]
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