Climate clock ticking, faster than ever

COP29 convened in Baku amidst worsening climate disasters and was touted as a turning point in global climate action.

- SELIM RAIHAN

However, its outcomes highlight some very systemic shortcomings of the international climate regime.

Though COP29 finally managed to agree upon a historic deal intended to accelerate climate finance and decarbonisation, the agreement falls frustratingly short of the urgency needed to combat the escalating climate crisis.

On paper, the COP29 agreement promises more climate financing and ambitious decarbonisation goals for wealthier countries. However, the $300 billion in annual climate finance it pledges by 2035 has been criticised as a "paltry sum" because it falls short of what is needed to tackle the scale of the crisis. For a country like Bangladesh - struggling to keep its head above rising sea levels amidst wild weather - the deal offers little hope for respite. Poorer countries continue to bear disproportionate burdens of a climate crisis they did not cause, underscoring ongoing inequities in global climate action.