It was “deeply shameful” that governments could not set aside their differences for the sake of the most vulnerable, she added.
Just Stop Oil called for people to “get off our screens and on to the streets”, adding: “Twenty-nine COPs with the fossil fuel lobby at the helm, and the world is still on course for runaway collapse.”
Extinction Rebellion also slammed the summit. “The clue is in the name. Next year countries will try for the 30th time. What is clear is the era of oil and gas must end: fast, fairly and forever.”
Mohamed Adow, director of energy and climate think tank Power Shift Africa, called the summit the “worst led meeting in COP history”. “Not only was this a hugely weak COP29 deal, it was pushed through over the objections of a number of countries.
“Azerbaijan’s authoritarian regime may be used bulldozing opposition against its own people, but the UN process cannot be bullied in the same way.”
Developed countries were more upbeat. US president Joe Biden said that while “substantial work” remained to be done, the conference had set an “ambitious international climate finance goal”.
“While some may seek to deny or delay the clean energy revolution that’s under way in America and around the world, nobody can reverse it — nobody,” he said.
EU climate commissioner Wopke Hoekstra commented that the COP marked the start of “a new era on climate finance”. “This COP delivered an ambitious and realistic goal and an increased contributor base. With these funds and this structure, we are confident we’ll reach the $1,3 trillion.”
Replenishment
Others are pinning hopes on a meeting of the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA) next month. The IDA provides concessional financing and grants to the lowest income countries.
Governments are due to ‘replenish’ funds in the IDA in December. World Bank president, Ajay Banga, has called for this replenishment to be the “largest of all time”, and African leaders have called for donors to provide at least $120 billion.
In the past few weeks, several countries have announced their new contributions, including the USA ($4bn), Norway ($450m) and South Korea ($600m).
Jamie Drummond, director of network Sharing Strategies said: “The energy and frustration of Baku must now refocus on replenishing the ‘people and planet fund’, otherwise known as the World Bank’s IDA, at a vital summit in South Korea in a few weeks’ time.”
