During the first term of the 2024/2025 Academic Year, Cari-Bois partnered with the Scotiabank Foundation to empower ten (10) students with climate journalism skills as part of the second edition of Cari-Bois’ Youth Journalism Project. For their third assignment, students wrote a story on the importance of the United Nations Climate Conference to Small Island Developing States. This story was written by Paul Craig of Blanchisseuse Secondary School.
The 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2024 brought together global leaders, scientists, activists, and negotiators to address the urgent and ongoing challenge of climate change.
The event highlighted the progress made towards climate action and areas for improvement.
Countries commit to action
There was a sense of cautious optimism at COP29 as some progress was made in certain areas of the climate agenda.
The pledge by several nations to ramp up their efforts to reduce carbon emissions was welcomed by many.
Countries were encouraged to take bolder steps, and some committed to ambitious dates for achieving net-zero emissions.
Many countries also unveiled new initiatives aimed at accelerating the shift to cleaner technologies, investing heavily in green infrastructure, and enhancing the resilience of vulnerable communities to climate impacts.
For example, the ongoing commitment to phasing out coal, an energy source responsible for a significant share of global emissions, was highlighted in various pledges.
The US, EU, and several other “developed” nations highlighted their commitment to providing more financial support to “developing” countries, which are often the hardest hit by climate change despite contributing the least to the problem.
Additionally, there were calls to strengthen the “loss and damage” framework that aims to compensate countries for the impacts of climate disasters.
The EU proposed an updated carbon pricing system designed to make polluters pay more, while investing the revenue in green technology.
Room for improvement
While there was optimism surrounding some of the pledges for progress at COP29, there was also disenchantment amongst some stakeholders like environmental activists and leaders from SIDS.
Despite their promises, the measures announced by major polluting countries fell short of what scientists believe is necessary to keep global warming below 1.5-degree Celsius.
The world is already on track for a temperature rise of around 2.7 degrees Celsius by the end of this century, according to recent IPCC reports, which would have catastrophic impacts on ecosystems, human livelihoods, and global stability.
Despite vocal support for decarbonization, some nations were reluctant to implement policies that would guide their economies to phasing out fossil fuel subsidies and reducing industrial emissions.
The Way Forward
As COP29 concluded, the target to limit global warming remained a central focus but it was clear that there were roadblocks toward achieving these goals.
While areas of progress were made, many felt there were opportunities for greater action.
The discussions in 2024 underscored the widening gap between the commitments made by governments and the actions required to meet those goals.
The next COP conference will need to build on the positive strides taken at COP29 and address the fury of those demanding immediate and transformative action.
A very special thank you to the Scotiabank Foundation for supporting the development of young people through initiatives like the Cari-Bois Youth Journalism Project.
