Biggest polluters give UN climate talk a miss

13 top CO2-polluting countries responsible for over 70% of 2023's heat-trapping gases

World leaders are converging Tuesday at the United Nations annual climate conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, although the big names and powerful countries are noticeably absent, unlike past climate talks which had the star power of a soccer World Cup.

But 2024's COP29 climate talks are more like the International Chess Federation world championship, lacking the recognizable names but big on nerd power and strategy. The top leaders of the 13 largest carbon dioxide-polluting countries will not appear. Their nations are responsible for more than 70% of 2023's heat-trapping gases.