Looking Back at Baku and Ahead to Belem
The WMO COP delegation highlighted the need for strengthened Earth observations and early warnings to support climate change mitigation and adaptation, and for more coordinated water and climate agendas.
The WMO State of the Climate 2024 Update set the tone for intensive and extensive WMO activities during 29th Conference of Parties (COP29) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Baku, Azerbaijan, from 11–24 November. Throughout the Conference, the WMO delegation highlighted the need for strengthened Earth observations and early warnings to support climate change mitigation and adaptation, and for more coordinated water and climate agendas.
The State of the Climate Update was released on the opening day of COP29 – on the Earth Observations Day – to inform negotiators of the urgency of action. It highlighted that 2024 is not only on track to be the hottest year on record, it will also temporarily hit the 1.5 °C warming threshold above pre-industrial levels that the Paris Agreement to the UNFCCC aims to avoid. It also noted that sea-level rise is accelerating, glacier retreat is unprecedented and extreme weather events have caused major loss of life and livelihoods around the world.
“The time for action is now. If you want a safer planet, it’s our responsibility. It’s a common responsibility, a global responsibility”, said WMO Secretary-General Professor Celeste Saulo, who headed the WMO delegation. The Climate Science for Action pavilion of the WMO, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and Meri Foundation reflected the WMO’s higher profile role in the annual COP conferences. The importance of Earth observations and related long-term data records was recognized by the UNFCCC Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) in its concluding document, reflecting the input provided by the WMO community.
This year, the WMO Executive Management team – Professor Saulo and WMO Deputy Secretary-General Ko Barrett – packed more than 70 engagements into the two-week schedule. This included bilateral meetings, media interviews and keynote addresses at COP29 events – in particular, on Early Warnings for All and resilience-building; on the global observing system and the Global Greenhouse Gas Watch; and on water resources and the cryosphere.
Two well-attended sessions with National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) and Climate Policy Advisors provided information and feedback on the significance of the COP process, and how to navigate it.
COP29 launched the Baku Dialogue on Water for Climate Action, a platform that promotes collaboration and initiatives that accelerate solutions for the water crisis. WMO is one of the co-founding signatories, exercising its mandate to provide robust and science-based evidence.
“Climate Finance COP”
COP29 ended on 24 November – two days behind schedule – with a pledge from developed nations to contribute at least 300 billion US dollars (USD) annually to support adaptation, with an overall climate financing target to reach “at least USD 1.3 trillion by 2035”. The target, or new collective quantified goal (NCQG), will replace the existing USD 100 billion goal that is due to expire in 2025.
Reacting to the outcome, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said that while an agreement at COP29 was essential to keep the 1.5 °C limit alive, “I had hoped for a more ambitious outcome – on both finance and mitigation – to meet the great challenge we face”.
At COP29, additional contributions were announced to the United Nations Systematic Observations Financing Facility (SOFF) that is now capitalized with more than USD 100 million to support countries in closing their basic weather and climate data gaps.
Next steps
COP30 will be held in Belem, Brazil, in November 2025. It takes place 10 years after the conclusion of the Paris Agreement in 2015 and is regarded as particularly important in trying to secure more ambitious climate action plans – known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). NDCs are updated every five years under the Paris Agreement, with countries outlining how they intend to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as part of global efforts to limit warming.
A consolidated WMO strategy to support countries in updating NDCs and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) to reflect these elements will be developed. A critical element will be positioning NMHSs as the authoritative voice of hydrometeorological early warnings and central actors in driving science-based solutions, ensuring their enhanced role in implementing climate policies and strategies worldwide.
In the lead-up to COP30, WMO will prioritize accelerated action to strengthen global climate mitigation and adaptation, and to reduce loss and damage. It will continue leveraging its State of the Climate reports to inform climate policy, finance and action, and to scale up Early Warnings For All to ensure comprehensive early warning coverage.
