THE CLIMATE VACUUM
Time|December 09, 2024
A U.S. retreat won't stop global climate efforts, but even the leaders who met at COP29 don't know what's coming next
JUSTIN WORLAND/BAKU
THE CLIMATE VACUUM

THE ANNUAL U.N. CLIMATE-CHANGE SUMMITS are always a little crazy: tens of thousands of delegates descending on a far-flung city for two weeks of discussion on the future of climate policy. This time around, the conference-known this year as COP29-was nothing short of surreal. In Baku, Azerbaijan, you could take a five-minute walk from the luxurious Russian pavilion, where delegates sipped tea on sofas amid human-size Russian dolls, to the Ukrainian pavilion, decorated with a solar panel destroyed by Russian armaments. At most COPS, attendees look for heads of state or celebrities; in Baku, delegates watched for the TalibanAfghanistan's delegation. In the first week, the Argentinian delegation returned home at the direction of the country's right-wing President; the French Environment Minister did not attend because of a diplomatic dispute with the host country. And the entire event began with Azerbaijan's President describing fossil fuels as "a gift from God."

This story is from the December 09, 2024 edition of Time.

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This story is from the December 09, 2024 edition of Time.

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