Greetings from Baku, Negotiations are in the final stages here at Cop29 in <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/azerbaijan/" target="_blank">Azerbaijan</a>. After a disappointing draft was unveiled on Thursday morning, the presidency has released a revised proposal to the tune of<a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/climate/2024/11/22/azerbaijan-puts-13-trillion-climate-deal-on-table-at-cop29/" target="_blank"> $1.3 trillion</a>. The proposal would set a $250 billion per-year floor for funding to be arranged by developed nations – well below what developing countries have been asking for. Activists voiced their disapproval as negotiators mulled the new text. "It's totally a joke and it's unacceptable," said Obed Koringo, a climate charity adviser from Kenya. The latest proposal came only three hours before negotiations were set to close, pushing the talks into overtime. However, this is the usual state of play for the world's largest climate summit. An extra 23 hours were needed to agree the <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/climate/cop28/2024/01/15/cop28-dr-sultan-al-jaber/" target="_blank">UAE Consensus</a> at last year's Cop28. The stalls and delegate booths in the blue zone are closed as most of the 55,000 attendees stream out of Baku Olympic Stadium. Negotiators will now need to work round the clock to come to a conclusion that all parties can agree on for the finance proposal to be passed. Read Tim Stickings's full story <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/climate/2024/11/22/azerbaijan-puts-13-trillion-climate-deal-on-table-at-cop29/" target="_blank">here.</a> As clouds of dangerous smog engulf cities in <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/india/" target="_blank">India</a> and <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/pakistan/" target="_blank">Pakistan</a>, delegates at <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/cop/" target="_blank">Cop29</a> heard that planting more trees, building homes off-site and composting rice straw could provide solutions. The climate talks called for nature-friendly policies that tackle South Asia's pollution, waste and extreme weather problems in one stroke. India's government has told the summit it must be allowed “carbon space” to pull people out of poverty despite the climate impact of its coal use. Read Tim Stickings's full story <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/climate/2024/11/21/trees-rice-and-prefab-homes-ideas-to-clean-up-india-and-pakistans-air/" target="_blank">here</a>. Children in vulnerable nations bearing the brunt of the climate change crisis issued an impassioned plea at <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/climate/2024/11/16/geopolitical-tensions-simmer-as-cop29-heads-into-second-week/" target="_blank">Cop29</a>. Young activists taking part in the Unicef Children and Youth Press Conference – being held during the talks in <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/climate/2024/11/16/cop29-and-the-1-trillion-tussle-will-countries-contribute-to-the-climate-fund/" target="_blank">Baku</a> – told of the stark consequences of extreme weather in communities around the world where they endure severe droughts, polluted rivers and limited access to clean drinking water. Their united call for support was made as <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2024/10/15/israels-war-affecting-nearly-every-child-in-lebanon-unicef-says/" target="_blank">Unicef</a> – the UN agency responsible for humanitarian aid and development for children – outlined the need to ensure critical services can withstand environmental threats. “You made a promise to protect our future – I stand here as a child asking you to keep that promise,” said Georgina, 10, from Tanzania, the youngest participant in the youth conference. Rachel Kelly's full story <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/climate/2024/11/18/climate-change-is-making-us-sick-children-call-for-action-at-cop29/" target="_blank">is here.</a> In the US, according to the National Centres for Environmental Information, there have been 24 confirmed climate disaster events with losses exceeding $1 billion each so far this year. That is almost three times the average number of 8.5 events from 1980 to 2023. <b>Qurultay:</b> A new term was introduced to delegates attending Cop29 this week. The presidency called for a qurultay to gather together negotiators following a more concrete draft of the New Collective Quantified Goal. A qurultay is a word for a traditional meeting in Azerbaijan. A full guide to understanding climate jargon<a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/climate/cop28/2023/11/09/cop28-net-zero-15c-our-guide-to-climate-change-jargon/?utm_source=The+National+newsletters&utm_campaign=0a087136ba-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2024_07_09_02_20_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-138f6bcf16-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D" target="_blank"> is here</a>. <b>READ MORE</b>
