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The 29th United Nations Climate Change Conference began in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Nov. 11, with grand ambitions to raise up to $1 trillion in climate finance for vulnerable nations. However, just five days into the summit, it has been marred by political disputes, notable absences, and unmet promises, prompting some to question whether the event is a "climate talks or chaos" scenario.

The main themes discussed so far were: November 11: COP 29 Opening November 12: World Leaders Climate Action Summit November 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

Firstly, some political feuds took center stage during the summit. Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev reignited tensions with France during an event for island nations, accusing Paris of colonial abuses in French Polynesia and human rights violations in New Caledonia. His comments, which directly implicated French President Emmanuel Macron’s government, led France's Ecology Minister, Agnes Pannier-Runacher, to cancel her planned visit to Baku, calling the remarks “beneath the dignity” of a host nation.

In another twist, Argentina abruptly withdrew its delegation, citing a directive from its new foreign affairs minister to re-evaluate the nation’s position at the summit. Argentina’s spokesperson described the withdrawal as part of broader reforms and refrained from providing further details.

Secondly, while the two-day World Leaders Action Summit saw participation from about 100 leaders, the absence of key players was glaring. Leaders from the 13 largest carbon-emitting nations, responsible for over 70% of global emissions, including China, the U.S., and India, chose to skip the event. Their absence drew sharp criticism from Belarussian President Aleksandr Lukashenko, who questioned the effectiveness of negotiations without the primary culprits of global warming.

Papua New Guinea, a country highly vulnerable to climate change, also boycotted the event. Its Foreign Affairs Minister had previously dismissed the summit as a “total waste of time”, criticizing the lack of immediate action from developed nations.

Thirdly, climate finance goals remain in limbo. COP29 was expected to focus on securing climate finance agreements, but political turmoil has overshadowed these goals. Azerbaijan’s proposed Climate Finance Action Fund, aimed at leveraging contributions from fossil fuel producers for developing nations, failed to launch as planned. The initiative was quietly shelved, with Azerbaijani officials citing the complexity of establishing such a fund.

Moreover, while renewable energy investments dominated discussions, experts highlighted the neglect of energy efficiency. The Mission Efficiency coalition called for a tripling of investments in energy efficiency and urged leaders to include these measures in their nationally determined contributions (NDCs). Experts warned that failure to address energy efficiency could derail efforts to meet the Paris Agreement targets.

With a packed agenda covering themes from energy to biodiversity, COP29 faces an uphill battle to deliver meaningful outcomes, with a week remaining. As tensions run high and trust between nations erodes, the summit risks ending without the ambitious agreements needed to combat the accelerating climate crisis. Muhammad Abdullah is a Deputy News Editor. Email them at feedback@thegazelle.org.