Climate action will continue despite Trump’s return, US envoy tells COP29

US ambiance envoy John Podesta has called connected governments to judge successful nan United States’ cleanable power economy, saying President-elect Donald Trump tin slow but not extremity its ambiance alteration pledges.

On Monday, during nan first time of nan United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP29, successful Baku, Azerbaijan, Podesta told nan acme that Trump’s electoral triumph past week was “obviously bitterly disappointing”.

“But what I want to show you coming is that while nan United States national government, nether Donald Trump, whitethorn put ambiance action connected nan backmost burner, nan activity to incorporate ambiance alteration is going to proceed successful nan United States,” Podesta said.

He added that outgoing President Joe Biden’s landmark ambiance legislation, nan Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which provides billions of dollars successful subsidies for cleanable energy, would proceed to thrust investments successful solar, wind, and different technologies.

“I don’t deliberation that immoderate of that is reversible. Can it beryllium slowed down? Maybe. But nan guidance is clear,” he said.

“This is not nan extremity of our conflict for a cleaner, safer planet. Facts are still facts. Science is still science. The conflict is bigger than 1 election, 1 governmental rhythm successful 1 country. This conflict is bigger, still, because we are each surviving done a twelvemonth defined by nan ambiance situation successful each state of nan world,” he added.

However, during his predetermination campaign, Trump said he would retreat from nan Paris Agreement to trim world temperatures to beneath 2 degrees, rotation backmost parts of nan IRA, and summation already record-high fossil substance production.

He antecedently called emissions regulations portion of a “green caller scam” and claimed, without elaborating, that offshore upwind turbines harm whales.

Carbon marketplace model agreed

In an early woody astatine COP29, governments astatine nan talks approved caller UN standards for world c markets successful a cardinal measurement towards allowing countries to waste and acquisition credits to meet their ambiance targets.

Nearly 200 nations agreed to a number of important crushed rules for mounting a marketplace successful mobility aft astir a decade of analyzable discussions.

Other cardinal aspects of nan wide model still request to beryllium negotiated, experts said, but nan determination brings person a long-sought UN-backed marketplace trading successful high-quality credits.

“It’s hugely significant,” Erika Lennon, from nan Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), told nan AFP news agency successful Baku, saying it would “open nan door” for a fully-fledged market.

Carbon credits are generated by activities that trim aliases debar planet-heating greenhouse state emissions, for illustration planting trees, protecting c sinks aliases replacing polluting ember pinch clean-energy alternatives. One in installments equals a tonne of prevented aliases removed heat-trapping c dioxide.

The benchmarks adopted successful Baku will let for nan improvement of rules including calculating really galore credits a fixed task tin receive.

Once up and running, a c marketplace would let countries – chiefly able polluters – to offset emissions by purchasing credits from nations that person trim greenhouse gases supra what they promised.

Taliban delegation attends COP29

Afghanistan has sent a delegation to nan UN ambiance acme for nan first clip since nan Taliban’s return to powerfulness successful 2021.

Matiul Haq Khalis, nan caput of nan country’s National Environmental Protection Agency, told The Associated Press news agency that Afghanistan was among nan worst affected countries by ambiance change, dealing pinch utmost upwind patterns, specified arsenic erratic rainfall, extended droughts and flash floods.

“All nan countries must subordinate hands and tackle nan problem of ambiance change,” said Khalis, speaking done a translator.

He added that Afghanistan had prepared nationalist action plans to reside ambiance alteration and would update its ambiance goals wrong nan adjacent fewer months.

Khalis said nan state had awesome upwind and star powerfulness imaginable but needed world support.

He besides thanked Baku’s authorities for inviting nan Taliban to nan UN talks, arsenic nan Taliban do not person charismatic nickname arsenic Afghanistan’s government.

The UN ambiance acme is group to return spot for nan adjacent 2 weeks and screen climate finance for processing countries and ways to modulation distant from fossil fuels.

Source

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Al Jazeera and news agencies