BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 16. The implementation of climate action is lagging behind the required pace, the Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Simon Stiell said at the COP29 Parliamentary Meeting organized jointly by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and Azerbaijani Parliament, TurkicWorld reports.
Sevil Mikayilova, the Vice President of the IPU from Azerbaijan and a member of the Azerbaijani parliament, is taking part in the event.
"Parliaments serve as an important channel for citizens to express their views and ensure that they are reflected in government policies and actions. Fighting climate change is one of the most pressing and urgent issues for all people on the planet.
When your parties are in power, you can be leaders, initiating concrete steps that make a real difference in people's lives," he said.
Stiell noted that the global community must move from incremental steps to decisive action in the fight to preserve the conditions of life on the planet. Recent reports have shown that climate action is lagging behind the necessary pace. The planet is projected to warm by 2.6 to 3.1 degrees Celsius - too far from the targeted 1.5 degrees needed to avoid the most dangerous consequences.
"The situation will only get worse if we do not reduce the gap between the current pace and the demands that science is making.
Some of this gap can be bridged by increasing ambition. We need more ambitious plans and policies that allow people to act with greater ambition. However, ambition alone is not enough; we need to close the ambition gap. Plans cannot stay on paper; they must lead to real change. Each country is obliged to strengthen its efforts," he said.
To note, the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29), which will run until November 22, opened at the Baku Olympic Stadium on November 11. It is the largest event organized by Azerbaijan to date, and the first time in the region that it is being held in Azerbaijan.
Within COP29, the highest level event - the summit of world leaders on climate action – was held on November 12–13.
The main expectation from COP29 is to agree on a fair and ambitious New Collective Quantitative Goal (NCQG) on climate finance. The COP29 chairmanship has launched 14 initiatives that include linkages between climate action and the Sustainable Development Goals, including green energy corridors, green energy storage, harmony for climate resilience, clean hydrogen, methane reduction in organic waste, action on green digital technologies, and other topics.
In addition to being a top priority that creates the conditions for action, creating climate finance will also help fulfill the 1.5°C pledge by bringing everyone together.
The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change is an agreement signed at the Rio Earth Summit in June 1992 to prevent dangerous human interference in the climate system. The acronym COP (Conference of Parties) stands for "Conference of Parties" and is the highest legislative body overseeing the implementation of the Framework Convention on Climate Change.
A total of 198 countries are parties to the Convention. Unless otherwise decided by the parties, COP is held annually. The first COP event was held in March 1995 in Berlin, and its secretariat is located in Bonn.
