MetMatters guide to COP29
by Kirsty McCabe, FRMetS
2024 is on track to be the warmest year on record, and the first year above 1.5°C — the critical threshold that will help prevent the worst impacts of climate change. Worrying news given that climate change intensified the 10 deadliest extreme weather events of the last 20 years.
Limiting the rise in the Earth’s average temperature to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels (around the late 1800s) will protect people and ecosystems, and reduce extreme weather events such as heatwaves, droughts, floods, stronger storms, rising sea levels, deforestation, and wildfires.
But limiting global warming to 1.5°C requires effort from every country around the world. And that is where COP comes in. This annual Conference of the Parties is a big global climate meeting, which brings together leaders from over 190 countries, along with experts, non-governmental organisations, scientists and experts, business and industry leaders, youth activists and indigenous leaders, as well as journalists and the media.
The aim of COP is to work together to shape global climate policies and find solutions to climate change. Countries set climate goals to reduce pollution and protect the planet, such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by around 2050.
As well as creating new policies and commitments to keep global warming under the critical 1.5°C threshold, the climate summit also includes exhibitions and side events, providing platforms for countries, businesses and organisations to showcase their climate solutions and commitments.
COP can’t solve climate change overnight, but each meeting builds on the last. For example, the 1.5°C target is a legacy of the Paris Agreement from COP21. The 29th meeting of COP (hence the name COP29), held in Baku, Azerbaijan, from 11 to 22 November 2024, is likely to focus on climate finance, with wealthier countries expected to fund more towards the cost of climate action, and help those nations most impacted by climate change.
The Royal Meteorological Society has observer status at COP29, attending sessions in person and virtually. You can read our reports here.
Climate Gallery
To highlight the impacts of climate change on our planet we’ve also launched a Climate Gallery. This expanded collection of exceptional photographs from our annual Standard Chartered Weather Photographer of the Year competition brings climate change into sharp focus. The gallery illustrates how global shifts in climate are affecting daily lives, agriculture, health and livelihoods, highlighting the urgent need for action.
Want to know more?
Brush up on your climate terms with the MetMatters Climate Jargon Buster.
Take a look at the Climate Action Tracker.
The CAT is an independent scientific project that tracks government climate action and measures it against the globally agreed Paris Agreement aim of "holding warming well below 2°C, and pursuing efforts to limit warming to 1.5°C". Their annual global temperature update shows that global warming projections for 2100 are flatlining, with no improvement since 2021. The aggregate effect of current policies set the world on a path toward 2.7°C of warming.
