The outcome of COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, has drawn criticism, particularly from climate justice activists, due to perceived shortcomings in ambition and implementation. Here are the lessons learned and reasons for dissatisfaction:

Lessons Learned

a. Finance and Commitment Shortfalls: A new climate finance goal was established to mobilize $300 billion annually by 2030, but the lack of a binding framework for achieving this undermines its impact. Wealthier developing countries were encouraged to contribute voluntarily, causing controversy over shared responsibilities​

b. Missed Opportunities on Energy Transition: Discussions on advancing the UAE Dialogue, which aims to implement the outcomes of the Global Stocktake, stalled due to disagreements over addressing fossil fuel transitions. Key targets like tripling renewable energy by 2030 and significant grid expansion were deferred to future talks​

c. Just Transition and Adaptation Delays: No consensus was reached on supporting workers and communities impacted by the shift away from fossil fuels, due to disagreements on finance and the global scope of a just transition. Similarly, progress on the Global Goal on Adaptation was limited, with debates over financing and indicators of progress delaying meaningful action.

Why Activists Are Unhappy?

a. Weak Commitment to Phasing Out Fossil Fuels: Activists criticized the exclusion of explicit references to phasing out fossil fuels in the Mitigation Work Programme (MWP) and just transition discussions. This omission, influenced by fossil fuel-producing nations, was seen as a rollback on earlier COP28 progress​.

b. Insufficient Climate Finance: The perceived reluctance of developed nations to fulfill previous financial commitments, coupled with the lack of significant new contributions, frustrated developing nations and activists who see finance as critical to enabling effective climate action​.

c. Failure to Address Global Inequities: Climate justice advocates argue that the deferral of decisions on global frameworks for equity, financing, and adaptation disproportionately affects vulnerable communities, highlighting the imbalance in responsibility and accountability​.

COP29 highlighted the ongoing tension between ambition and implementation, exposing fractures in international cooperation on critical issues like finance, equity, and energy transition. Activists are calling for stronger commitments at COP30 in Brazil to address these gaps comprehensively.