COP29: Everything You Need to Know About the UN Climate Change Conferences

The world is warming at an alarming rate, how can COP29 deliver the breakthroughs we need?

Next week, world leaders and organisations will meet in Baku, Azerbaijan for the 2024 edition of the United Nations Climate Change Conference. This important event brings together global figures to discuss and agree on actions to address climate change, as well as to set targets to tackle this matter.

Most people are aware that COP29 is a crucial event to discuss climate change and the future of our planet. But do you really know what it’s all about? To help you answer this, we wrote this article to go through some of the most important questions regarding COP29.

What Does COP29 Stand for?

COP29 stands for the 29th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The acronym is one of the most common ways to refer to this annual conference. Additionally, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is a treaty among countries to address climate change.

Why is COP29 Important?

The summit is the biggest conference of its kind regarding climate change. It has helped introduce standardised targets to encourage initiatives such as mitigating GHG emissions, addressing vulnerabilities and global cooperation on the matter. COP summits often lead to new agreements and treaties, aiming to refine targets, establish rules or create legally binding commitments. Some key treaties and agreements from these conferences include:

• The Kyoto Protocol (1997): Established after intensive discussions, the Kyoto Protocol was signed originally by 84 countries. The agreement is officially the first global legally binding contract to reduce greenhouse gases. The agreement originally set binding targets for 37 industrialised countries and economies in transition, as well as the European Union, to reduce their emissions by around 5% below 1990 levels over the five years between 2008 and 2012. The first commitment period covered targets mainly for 6 greenhouse gases, which include:
  • Carbon dioxide (CO2)
  • Methane (CH4)
  • Nitrous oxide (N2O)
  • Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)
  • Perfluorocarbons (PFCs)
  • Sulphur hexafluoride (SF6)
• The Paris Agreement (2015): The Paris Agreement was another major international treaty regarding the mitigation of climate change. The agreement intended to limit global warming to below 2 degrees Celsius, preferably aiming for 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels. As of October 2024, 195 parties (194 countries and the European Union) have acceded or ratified the agreement, accounting for roughly 98% of global emissions.

Where and When is COP29 Being Held?

This year, the conference will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan from the 11th to the 22nd of November.

Who is Attending COP29?

Aside from the state and intergovernmental parties to the convention, the conference will also be attended by business leaders, climate change experts and decision-makers. Additionally, the number of expected people who have registered to attend has risen to 32,000 as of October 2024.

COP29 Thematic Days – Programme: What is COP29’s Main Themes?

In regards to its contents, the theme for COP29 will be ‘In Solidarity for a Green World’. In relation to this, the discussions of the event will broken down into thematic days, which include:

• November 11: COP29 Opening
• November 12-13: World Leaders Climate Action Summit
• November 14: Finance, Investment and Trade
• November 15: Energy/Peace, Relief and Recovery
• November 16: Science, Technology and Innovation/Digitalisation
• November 17: Rest Day
• November 18: Human Development/Children and Youth/Health/Education
• November 19: Food, Water and Agriculture
• November 20: Urbanisation/Transport/Tourism
• November 21: Indigenous Peoples/Gender Equality/Nature and Biodiversity/Oceans and Coastal Zones
• November 22: Final Negotiations

Where Will COP30 Be Held?

The 30th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP30) will take place in Brazil.

COP30 Dates

The dates for next year’s conference have not been confirmed yet, however, it is likely to be held in November 2025. The United Nations Climate Change Conferences typically take place in November.

Why Does COP29 Matter to Recycling?

Recycling is a sector that has a strong potential to tackle issues relating to climate change. To quantify this, a study by Project Drawdown estimated that if the world maximised its recycling efforts, it could avoid between 10.36 to 11.29 gigatons of CO2e between 2020 and 2050.

This subsequently has made it a topic for discussion in such events. At a glance, the United Nations Environment Programme’s Inger Andersen delivered a speech in 2024 highlighting the benefits of optimised recycling to counter biodiversity loss, pollution and waste.

Conversely, COP29 can also have major implications for the recycling and waste management sector in very significant ways:

• Funding Projects: The Conference of the Parties is often used as a platform to allocate funds, such as the ‘Loss and Damage Fund’ established in COP27. While these funds are often used to fund climate adaptation and renewable energy, there is a possibility that they could also be allocated to bolster recycling infrastructure. Moreover, past coinciding events have funded recycling projects in developing countries, which often offer socially and environmentally sustainable solutions to society. 
• Revised Climate Action Goals and Policy Influence: More importantly, COP29 is likely to focus on encouraging national policies to tackle pollution and emissions. These calls will likely trickle into the recycling sector in developed countries such as the UK, where net zero strategies are prevalent among such companies. COP29 will likely put pressure on companies to uphold their commitment to their net-zero strategies.

While COP29 will undoubtedly play a crucial role in shaping global climate action, it’s important to remember that the fight against climate change is a collective effort. Governments, businesses, and individuals all have a part to play. By working together, we can create a more sustainable future for generations to come.

“As we reach closer to 2050, it is of the utmost importance that governments and businesses accelerate their efforts to decarbonise and move towards a circular economy. The Paris Agreement provides a crucial framework, but we need bolder action and stronger commitments to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.” – Rory Capper, Head of Sustainability and Innovations at Bywaters

In relation, we will soon release our revised edition of our Net Zero strategy, highlighting our progress so far. Click here to see the first report.