COP29 Unpacked: Eight Critical Topics Driving the Climate Agenda in Baku

This guide from the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), originally published on the weADAPT platform, outlines eight primary topics expected to dominate the COP29 climate conference in Baku, Azerbaijan. The document highlights the conference's role in shaping global climate policy, specifically focusing on the establishment of new financial goals, the operationalization of loss and damage funds, and the intensification of national climate commitments.

• COP29 is designated as the "finance COP," with a primary focus on creating the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) to scale up financial support for developing countries. While developed nations currently commit $100 billion annually, the document notes this is far below the estimated $2.4 trillion per year needed to achieve global climate objectives.
• A major priority for COP29 is the operationalization of the Loss and Damage Fund. Despite $700 million in existing pledges, estimates for annual costs to support low- and middle-income nations vary widely, with one estimate suggesting $290-580 billion may be needed annually by 2030 and another estimating $400 billion in annual costs.
• The conference serves as a critical window for nations to update their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) before a 2025 deadline, following a 2023 Global Stocktake (GST) which found that current NDCs are insufficient to limit global warming to 1.5°C.
• Other critical agenda items include the operationalization of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement regarding international carbon markets, the advancement of the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA), and the strengthening of National Adaptation Plans (NAPs). The document also emphasizes the need for Nature-based Solutions (NbS), noting that approximately 62% of NDCs included NbS as adaptation actions as of 2019.
• The negotiations in Baku will take place against a complex geopolitical backdrop involving energy security concerns, ongoing wars, and the specific challenge of Azerbaijan's reliance on fossil fuels while serving as the host nation.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2024). COP29 Unpacked: Eight Critical Topics Driving the Climate Agenda in Baku. https://www.sei.org/features/cop29-unpacked-eight-critical-topics-driving-the-climate-agenda-in-baku/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. COP29 Unpacked: Eight Critical Topics Driving the Climate Agenda in Baku. 2024. https://www.sei.org/features/cop29-unpacked-eight-critical-topics-driving-the-climate-agenda-in-baku/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=COP29 Unpacked: Eight Critical Topics Driving the Climate Agenda in Baku |date=13 November 2024 |url=https://www.sei.org/features/cop29-unpacked-eight-critical-topics-driving-the-climate-agenda-in-baku/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2024cop29, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{COP29 Unpacked: Eight Critical Topics Driving the Climate Agenda in Baku}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2024}, month = nov, url = {https://www.sei.org/features/cop29-unpacked-eight-critical-topics-driving-the-climate-agenda-in-baku/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }