People hold placards during a protest against the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku, in London, Britain, November 16, 2024.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

The first week of the COP29 summit concluded in Baku without significant breakthroughs, as deep divisions between developed and developing nations stalled progress on key issues like climate finance, trade measures, and equitable responsibility for climate action.

India, representing the G-77/China and BASIC blocs, demanded accountability from wealthier countries on unmet financial commitments.

The G-77/China bloc reiterated the call for $1.3 trillion annually in climate finance, with an emphasis on grants and concessional funding to avoid burdening vulnerable economies already grappling with the impacts of climate change.   “Loans make up nearly 70% of climate finance provided so far. This is unacceptable and places undue pressure on developing economies,” an Indian negotiator had asserted, urging developed nations to move away from debt-inducing mechanisms.

UN Executive Secretary Simon Stiell added to the urgency, urging G20 countries to take bolder action, warning that without it, no economy in the grouping would be spared from climate-driven economic losses.

However, his call for solidarity failed to resolve the deadlock.

Cosima Castle, of E3G’s climate diplomacy team, acknowledged the challenges posed by geopolitical tensions but underscored the potential of the upcoming G20 Leaders’ Summit in Rio de Janeiro.

E3G is an engineering and environmental consulting firm.

“We’re seeing strains everywhere, from the Middle East to Africa to Ukraine, yet there’s collective resolve among many nations to work toward a deal,” she said.

Castle pointed out that the G20 countries, responsible for 80% of global emissions and 85% of the world economy, hold the key to unlocking ambitious climate agreements.

The contentious issue of the European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) also fuelled sharp exchanges.

India and other developing nations criticised the measure for disproportionately penalising their economies, calling it a violation of equity principles and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

“CBAM shifts the responsibility of climate action onto nations with minimal historical emissions, undermining industrial growth in the developing world,” warned a negotiator from Bolivia, echoing India’s concerns. Technology transfer emerged as another unresolved issue.

Developing nations demanded a robust technology implementation programme supported by dedicated financial backing.

“Without equitable access to climate technologies, the promises of the Paris Agreement will remain unfulfilled,” an Indian negotiator stated.  India also opposed any attempts to impose external regulations on its climate targets, emphasising that mitigation efforts should align with Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and national sovereignty.

The BASIC bloc criticised developed nations for attempting to dilute their commitments under the Paris Agreement by shifting additional obligations onto emerging economies. The BASIC countries include Brazil, South Africa, India, and China.

The Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) and the Arab Group joined forces with India, highlighting the disproportionate impact of climate change on vulnerable populations and demanding scaled-up financial and technological support.   The negotiations in Baku have also highlighted the urgent need for a comprehensive climate finance package that addresses both mitigation and adaptation.

“The costs of inaction are far greater than the costs of action,” Castle warned, adding that countries must come together not only for climate action but also for long-term economic stability.

South Africa, which will assume the G20 presidency in 2025, is expected to play a crucial role in bridging the gap between developed and developing countries.

Gillian Hamilton, a civil society leader from South Africa, emphasised the country’s commitment to debt relief and reforms in multilateral financial systems.

“South Africa has been closely working with the African Union to reflect the priorities of the Global South, focusing on equity and solidarity,” she said, adding that the country’s leadership would build on themes introduced by Brazil and India.

The lack of progress on key fronts, including the long-standing $100 billion annual climate finance pledge, left developing nations increasingly frustrated.

As negotiators prepare for the second week, the stalemate casts uncertainty over whether COP29 will deliver actionable outcomes.

With COP30 in Brazil next year, the outcomes in Baku are likely to set the tone for the global climate agenda in the months to come. 

Environmental activists protest during the United Nations climate change conference COP29, in Baku, Azerbaijan November 15, 2024.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

In the nosebleed seats of a nearly-empty Baku Olympic stadium coated with a layer of dust, activists used a giant banner to beam the words “Pay Up” to the world.

The protest took weeks of thought and planning, but most of the attendees at this year’s U.N. climate talks didn’t see or hear it — except for maybe some in the COP29 presidency offices right below. The majority of the people involved in deciding the financial future of climate action at the talks remained in the sprawling venue, under white tarps with no windows.

Chants restricted

It’s “really hard to make our demands heard,” said Bianca Castro, a climate activist from Portugal. She’s been to several COPs in the past and remembers years when there were thousands of protestors in the streets, and a multitude of strikes and actions throughout the event. But at the stadium’s seats, they were told exactly where and when they could stand and chants were restricted. A United Nations climate change spokesperson said that the action was in a part of the venue that isn’t open to participants, and involved extensive dialogue among the participants, facility managers and health and safety officers.

Still, Ms. Castro said the difficulty of making an impact meant many are “losing hope in the in the process.”

People involved in protests say they have felt a trend in recent years of stricter rules from the United Nations organizers with COPs being held in countries whose governments limit demonstrations and the participation of civil society. And some community spaces for prepping and organizing have had to resort to going underground because of security concerns. But the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change — who run the COPs — say the code of conduct that governs the conferences has not changed, nor has the way it’s applied, and COP29 organizers say there’s space across the venue for participants to “make their voices heard in line with the UNFCCC code of conduct and Azerbaijan law safely and without interference.”

Voices from the Global South

Despite the challenges and what some see as a depressing mood, activists say it remains a critical time to speak up about the historical and present-day injustices that are in desperate need of money and attention.

It’s especially true this year at a COP where the theme is finance, because voices from the Global South play a pivotal role in bringing ambitious demands to the negotiating table, said Rachitaa Gupta, who coordinates a global network of organizations advocating for climate justice. But she said that there have been more and more defamation rules each year that prohibit protestors from calling out specific countries or names.

“We do feel that the restrictions have reached a stage where it’s a constant battle on what we can say,” Gupta said. Activists can’t name specific countries, people or businesses in line with the UNFCCC’s code of conduct.

Protest in Baku

Meanwhile, across town in a downtown Baku building, activists paint, snip fabric and sculpt with cardboard and papier-mache in a quest for visually compelling symbols of climate action. The art space was once a place of community, where people came to pour their feelings into a creative outlet, said Amalen Sathananthar, coordinator at a collective called the Artivist Network. But now his team keeps the art space private and doesn’t reveal its location because of security concerns.

Restrictions, though, can breed creativity among the artists designing the banners, flags and props that demonstrators use during protests. In the absence of naming specific people or countries, or carrying country flags, they instead have to come up with other imagery to get their messages across.

One of this year’s pieces was a larger-than-life snake for an action with the slogan “Weed Out the Snakes,” calling attention for the removal of big polluters and fossil fuel lobbyists at climate talks, something that’s been “outrageous,” said Jax Bongon, whose organization is part of the Kick Big Polluters Out coalition. “Would you invite an arsonist to put out the fire?”

It’s an issue that’s “particularly hard for me as someone from the Philippines,” Bongon added, but called it “really uplifting” to watch the action come together despite challenges.

Demonstrators hoisted the fire-colored serpent with on their shoulders and heads. Together, their hisses filled the tent, bringing the snake to life.

“I think that the only reason people dare to do this is because, one, they’re struggling on how to be heard,” said Dani Rupa, one of the artists working in Baku with The Artivist Network. “But, two, that there is like creative support for them to be able to do this.”

The Artivist Network have been doing this for a long time, attending COPs unofficially since the early 2000s and officially since they formalized in 2018. Sathananthar’s seen the multitude of ways protestors have had to argue with host countries and the UNFCCC governing body to get space for activism. But this year, especially, he said it’s a struggle — “negotiations within negotiations” that have had Sathananthar staying up late into the night in talks and on occasion have left him “fuming.”

A spokesperson for UNFCCC said they’ve “been a recognized global leader in ensuring safe civic spaces at COPs for many years” which normally doesn’t happen at other intergovernmental events.

Still, activists feel that only being able to protest within certain areas throughout the venue — when previous years have seen mass street marches in host cities — can be frustrating.

“Every action you now have to fight for desperately,” Sathananthar said. “We fought to get these spaces and we will fight to keep them.”