In Depth

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What we learned by offsetting world leaders' travel to COP26

<a href="https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/cop26">COP26</a>, the next UN climate conference, starts on 1st November. In the days before the conference gets underway, world leaders and their entourages from all corners of the globe will make their way to the UK, and over to the conference venue in Glasgow.
As one of our COP activities, at Ecologi we decided to offset the world leader’s flight emissions, as well as planting two trees &#8211; one tree at one of our reforestation sites in Scotland, and one tree in our overseas sites &#8211; for every world leader representing a Party to the UNFCCC at COP26 &#8211; even the ones who didn’t bother to show up.
That’s 197 world leaders’ travel in total, totalling around 331 tonnes of carbon to be offset, and also 394 trees to be planted.

We chose to do this because, whilst all of us should be taking steps to reduce our emissions (including limiting or abstaining from air travel) our team &#8211; guided as ever by our wonderful Climate Committee &#8211; agreed that attending a key UN climate conference in person is one of the more compelling reasons to fly across the world.
As we’ve discussed before, <a href="https://x.ecologi.com/articles/in-depth/carbon-offset-faqs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">offsetting is not a substitute for making cuts in emissions</a>: not flying is always better than flying and then offsetting. However, given the importance of COP26 and the fact that we believe that, for this particular kind of event, attending in-person is better than being remote, we chose not to chastise world leaders for flying to Glasgow.
Instead, we chose to celebrate the idea of leaders coming together to negotiate and discuss climate change. We calculated what their emissions would be, assuming they travelled from the location of their country’s seat of government (a full breakdown of how we did our calculations is below), and we will be retiring carbon credits equivalent to that amount &#8211; in our usual mix of tonnes verified to a leading carbon standard (to see how we select our projects for offsetting, <a href="https://x.ecologi.com/articles/in-depth/carbon-offset-faqs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">take a look on the blog</a>). We hope that this gesture will mitigate some of the negative impact associated with the flights these world leaders have taken to get there.
As well as the offset, we thought the act of planting two trees apiece for all 197 Parties, with each nation’s name on it, into <a href="https://x.ecologi.com/copse26" target="_blank" rel="noopener">our virtual &#8216;COPSE26&#8217; forest</a>, would represent our feeling of goodwill about the COP finally taking place after a year’s delay.
Our gesture comes with a very simple message to world leaders: make it count.

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The 331 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent produced by these world leaders’ travel to COP is, according to the <a href="https://www.epa.gov/energy/greenhouse-gas-equivalencies-calculator">EPA&#8217;s calculation</a>, approximately the same as the emissions produced by burning 766 barrels of oil, or by consuming over 37,000 gallons of gasoline, or by <a href="https://www.epa.gov/energy/greenhouse-gas-equivalencies-calculator" target="_blank" rel="noopener">charging a smartphone 40 million times</a>.
According to <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aag2345" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this 2016 article in the journal Science</a>, the 331 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions produced by sending these world leaders to COP will result in the loss of 993 square metres of Arctic sea ice.
As with every COP, there are already discussions taking place in the media about whether the event is or will be a success. Lots of these are centred around the fact that certain world leaders have ‘snubbed’ the event by not showing up in person. 
More pressing is the notion that concrete, effective climate agreements and commitments need to result from COP26 in order for there to be a realistic chance of limiting global surface warming to 1.5ºC by the end of the century, and perhaps even for limiting it to 2ºC warming.
This is why our message to the world leaders, in particular those representing countries of the Global North and countries with the highest historical and current emissions, is this:
&nbsp;
Welcome to Glasgow.
We have offset your personal travel here (even if you didn’t show up) and we have also planted two trees for each of you, in your country’s name.
We have done this because we believe that running COP26 in person will lead to a better chance of the conference ending in an agreement that will heal our ecosystems, restore balance to our climate system, and support a just and equitable transition away from fossil fuels.
It is our hope that you will listen to the billions of people worldwide who are calling for climate action. These people deserve and expect you to deliver real, impactful action in Glasgow in the coming days.
The following two weeks are your opportunity to step up. Show leadership. Take initiative. Cooperate. You already know what’s at stake &#8211; your own scientists have been warning you for years.
It now falls to you to carry out your end of the bargain. 
Make it count.

5 things we learned whilst researching this campaign:

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Last year, COP26 was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic whilst other global summits simply went online. Telepresence (a fancy word for <a href="https://drawdown.org/solutions/telepresence" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tuning in remotely</a>) is a recognised climate solution since it dramatically reduces (though does not totally eliminate) carbon emissions associated with running the event.
But undertaking an international climate summit online would have its challenges. Aside from the now-routine issues with accidental muting and difficulties connecting, there are more substantial ways that telepresence cannot match being there in person, when complex, sensitive issues are at hand.
As Leo Hickman, Editor of <a href="https://www.carbonbrief.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CarbonBrief</a>, pointed out during <a href="https://www.bristol.ac.uk/cabot/events/2021/annual-lecture-2021.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Cabot Institute’s recent Annual Lecture</a>, it can be much easier for representatives of powerful countries in the Global North to ignore or shut out the voices of their counterparts from the Global South &#8211; when ignoring them can plausibly be blamed on a poor wifi connection.
The negotiations that take place at COPs are incredibly complex, involving thousands of people, and relying on quick, reliable, person-to-person communication to produce effective outcomes. In 2011, the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action, which committed the Parties to a new legally-binding treaty to be defined in 2015, was agreed <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_United_Nations_Climate_Change_Conference#Durban_Platform" target="_blank" rel="noopener">after a marathon 60-hour negotiation</a>. That new accord that the Parties had agreed to be bound by in 2015 became the Paris Agreement. Producing similar outcomes remotely may be difficult or even impossible.

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We already know that the countries of the Global North <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/contributed-most-global-co2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">are responsible for the vast majority</a> of historical emissions, and we also know that the countries of the Global South <a href="https://reliefweb.int/report/world/global-climate-risk-index-2021" target="_blank" rel="noopener">are more at risk from the impacts of climate change</a> that they are not responsible for having caused. In addition, key pledges of funding by the Global North to the Global South <a href="https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-why-climate-finance-flows-are-falling-short-of-100bn-pledge" target="_blank" rel="noopener">have not yet materialised</a>, and this funding is <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-59040538" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unlikely to be made available until 2023</a>.
There are a huge number of ways in which rich countries are treated differently on the international stage, but the ways in which the influence of countries from the Global South is suppressed at events such as COP26 goes beyond this. 
The COP has become prohibitively inaccessible for many delegates from the Global South. Two of the key reasons for this are vaccine inequity (since many countries are simply blocked from attending due to UK travel restrictions) and cost (since accommodation in Glasgow for two weeks during COP could set you back well over £5,000). In addition to travel bans, vaccine inequity means delegates from some countries in the Global South may be forced to risk their own health if they make the journey to COP. Delegates from many countries are also forced to reconcile the fact that journeying to COP in multiple legs &#8211; which applies far more to countries of the Global South than those of the Global North &#8211; creates far more emissions than a direct route.
As a result of all this, some activist groups including the Climate Action Network recently <a href="https://climatenetwork.org/2021/09/07/cop26-must-be-postponed-climate-action-network/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">called for the COP to be postponed (again)</a> until it could be carried out inclusively. The COP is going ahead, but unfortunately, it still features exclusion and injustice.

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The airline industry operates <a href="https://science.howstuffworks.com/transport/flight/modern/airline3.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">with a ‘hub and spoke’ model</a> &#8211; meaning that some airports (like London Heathrow, Dubai International Airport, and Amsterdam Schiphol) are vast international hubs. From far away, you usually have to travel long-haul to these hubs if you want to get to any of their nearby smaller cities. That’s why <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Dgk7vSL-7ZznhqZPjc5SsUXeQYYZ7HYeA3zkR7_GpUw/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">so many of the routes</a> to get world leaders to Glasgow include travelling through London or Amsterdam &#8211; these are the nearest major hubs.
Many of the possible routes provide hints at their respective countries’ colonial histories. This is why places like Nairobi in Kenya and Bridgetown in Barbados have direct flights to London, places like Luanda in Angola and Maputo in Mozambique have direct flights to Lisbon, and places like Bogotá in Colombia and Lima in Peru have direct flights to Madrid. Often these direct routes are run by the ‘flag carrier’ airline from the country which was historically the coloniser.
There are practical reasons this is the case too &#8211; for example, these countries are likely to share a common language (though of course this is often related to colonial history as well) &#8211; but looking at the data in researching commercial routes to COP, it’s hard to ignore the trends that appear before you.
In parallel, there <a href="https://www.ecosia.org/search?q=climate+change+and+colonialism" target="_blank" rel="noopener">are lots of long-reads</a> about the links between climate change and colonialism, and <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-021-01460-w" target="_blank" rel="noopener">research has been conducted</a> into the coloniality of ecology too. This coloniality is why, for example, the Latin names for hundreds of bird species incorporate the surnames of European people, <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-021-01460-w" target="_blank" rel="noopener">with most of these species appearing outside Europe</a>, in formerly colonised countries.

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The Working Group I submission to the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report, which was published in August, <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">gave a stark warning</a> of how slim the window of opportunity now is for us to limit warming to 1.5ºC. In each of the five emissions scenarios examined by the IPCC, warming was projected to surpass 1.5ºC (though it is important to note that in the lowest emissions scenario, warming recedes to 1.4ºC by the end of the century). Current policies have us <a href="https://climateactiontracker.org/global/cat-thermometer/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">on track for significantly more warming</a> than this.
However, the ‘ratchet mechanism’ from Paris, exercised for the first time in Glasgow, is specifically designed to make these pledges, targets and policies more ambitious over time. This makes Glasgow’s conference enormously high stakes, and also a huge opportunity to show climate leadership. That’s why our message to world leaders is to make it count.

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Over the last five or six years, there has been an unprecedented upswell in awareness and action on climate. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/10/25/climate/world-climate-pledges-cop26.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The progress that has been made in such a short time</a> since the Paris Agreement is truly astounding. It’s still not enough yet, but the needle is starting to turn.
This applies both in terms of policy, but also the economics of climate change, with the price of renewables plummeting over the past few years, as well as the public awareness and consumer attitudes; increasing numbers of people are choosing plant-based diets, electric vehicles and gaining an <a href="https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/survey-results/daily/2021/10/14/6e40a/2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">improved public understanding</a> of the importance of climate change.
The latest IPCC report shows us that we need action on climate now. The movement has never been bigger, and we are really only just getting started. In Glasgow, what we need is an understanding of the gravity of climate change, coupled with a fierce determination that will motivate us to drag down emissions and restore nature. The action we’ve seen in these past few years should encourage us, and give us hope that we can seize these immense opportunities and set things right.

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Firstly, we took a list of all 197 Parties to the UNFCCC, alongside listing their seats of government. We chose the seat of government because not all capital cities are used to host government offices or agencies (for example, in the Netherlands the capital is Amsterdam but the government is based in The Hague).
Where multiple candidate cities existed (for example, South Africa, which has three capital cities), the executive capital was chosen, as this is where the relevant world leader would be ordinarily based.
Where the seat of government does not contain an airport, or where a short overland journey could reduce the number of flight legs required, then the nearest accessible airport was selected as the origin airport. For example, we used Amsterdam Schiphol as the origin airport for the Netherlands, even though The Hague is 28 miles from Amsterdam. This process ignores political or other reasons which would otherwise exclude the nearest airport from use. 
Having established the origin airport and the destination airport (Glasgow), a simple online flights search was carried out for each world leader’s journey, to establish the optimal route for the journey. This journey was split out into its constituent legs, and each leg was entered as a return premium class flight into the <a href="https://www.icao.int/environmental-protection/CarbonOffset/Pages/default.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ICAO Carbon Emissions Calculator</a> to produce an estimate of the emissions output in tCO2e.
After a few iterations of this process, data for the final legs of many journeys could often be copied across, since so many routes to Glasgow arrive via a popular hub airport nearby &#8211; most often Heathrow, Dublin, Amsterdam Schiphol or Paris Charles de Gaulle. The data shows that 4 countries&#8217; representatives were able to travel to Glasgow in a single flight, 81 were able to reach Glasgow in two flights, 85 in three, and the remaining 27 in four.
A small number of journeys produced by the online search required an airport change between legs of the route on arrival (such as arriving into London Gatwick but leaving London via Heathrow). This was allowed.
A number of assumptions were required for producing the calculations for this campaign, primarily due to lack of available data, including:
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<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">That all world leaders would attend COP 26, and that all of them would fly from the location of their seat of government. Comprehensive lists of world leaders attending the COP are not available, nor are there lists including where they will be travelling from, or their mode of transport.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">That world leaders would fly via commercial routes. In reality, some world leaders will fly to Glasgow on governmental planes, landing at military airbases and so on, as opposed to taking commercially available routes.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">That all world leaders will travel in premium class or equivalent. This makes a difference because emissions calculations per passenger are often produced as a function of the increased physical space afforded to the passenger in their specific class of travel.</li>
</ul>
Once we had completed the calculations for the amount of carbon dioxide emitted to get an individual from the seat of government of every UNFCCC Party to Glasgow we summed them together, totalling 330.15 tonnes (which we rounded to 331 tonnes), and we added this as impact to <a href="https://x.ecologi.com/copse26" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the COP 26 forest profile</a>. 
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<a href="https://x.ecologi.com/business/overview">Sign up</a> to Ecologi today to start taking real climate action.

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Meet our Impact Team

Ecologi’s mission is to inspire and empower businesses to accelerate global climate action. In everything we do, we’re guided by our company values:
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<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Planet first</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Always accountable</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Change-makers</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Act, together.</li>
</ol>
Because of our values, we put impact for our climate, nature and people, right at our heart: and this is driven by our Impact Team.

<h2>Meeting the Impact Team </h2>
The Impact Team is responsible for directing our efforts toward meaningful climate action aligned with the latest science and industry best practice. The team’s role encompasses several key areas, including:
<ul>
<li>Ensuring adherence to best practice through our research bases, rigorous due diligence processes, and expert understanding of key sustainability frameworks.</li>
<li>Building and managing relationships with some of the world’s leading implementation partners to facilitate the delivery of high-impact climate solutions.</li>
<li>Delivery of emissions measurement and reporting projects, assisting customers with data collection, emissions calculations, and helping them identify effective decarbonisation strategies.</li>
<li>Engaging with academia, including the stewardship of the Ecologi Climate Committee — our advisory network of academic and industry experts on topics relevant to our work.</li>
<li>Providing climate and sustainability expertise and strategic guidance to align our products and services with the latest in environmental science and industry best practices and to guide our internal policy.</li>
<li>Driving our industry forward through participating in industry advisory groups, policy advocacy groups, consortia and alliances with Ecologi’s peers and partners in corporate sustainability, </li>
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</ul>
In this article, we’ll meet the team making it all possible!

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<h2>Sam Jackson, Director of Climate Science &amp; Impact</h2>
MSc, MA, PIEMA REnvP, FRSA
Sam is department lead for Impact at Ecologi, and a member of Ecologi’s senior leadership team. He is responsible for providing climate and sustainability expertise and strategic guidance to the business, with the priority of aligning Ecologi’s products and services with the latest in environmental science and industry best practice. Sam is an advisor to a number of industry groups and a regular speaker at sustainability industry events.
Sam has a varied background in climate science, international operations, development, and environmental governance. In his early career, he worked primarily in the charity and sustainable tourism sectors before moving permanently into climate and corporate sustainability. Sam holds Master’s degrees in International Relations and Climate Change Science and Policy from the University of Exeter and the University of Bristol. He is a Practitioner Member of IEMA, a Registered Environmental Practitioner with the Society for the Environment, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

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<h2>Eleanor Turner, Climate Solutions Manager</h2>
MSc, BSc, PIEMA 
Eleanor has a senior role within the Impact team, helping to guide our strategic direction and shape our theory of change, as well as supporting the team across all Impact functions. Eleanor leads much of our external engagement with academia, including managing the Ecologi Climate Committee: our advisory network of academic and industry experts across a wide range of topics relevant to our work. She also works cross-functionally around the business, to drive much of Ecologi’s own internal sustainability efforts.
Eleanor holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Science from the University of York, in addition to a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Geography. Eleanor’s career began as a sustainability consultant within the engineering and construction industry, focusing on BREEAM assessments and decarbonisation across the public sector. Eleanor then moved to an in-house sustainability role within the consumer goods industry, focused on internal sustainability strategy and greenhouse gas inventory management, before joining Ecologi as our Climate Solutions Manager.

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<h2>George Gibson, Senior Carbon Accounting Manager</h2>
George provides technical expertise to support the development of the carbon accounting methodology underpinning our Ecologi Zero platform for businesses. George also leads the consultative delivery of emissions measurement and reporting projects with our customers, guiding them through data collection and helping them to identify decarbonisation strategies. Key to his role is ensuring compliance with the relevant standards and that the tool provides a comprehensive and accurate account of a business’ emissions.
With a degree in Economics and Management from Cardiff University, specialising in economic development, George has previously worked as a sustainability consultant providing insight into compiling greenhouse gas inventories to measure and report emissions, developing decarbonisation strategies, setting Science-Based Targets and supporting businesses in attaining B Corp certification.

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<h2>Katie Pownall, Impact Partnerships Manager</h2>
MBiol, MRSB, ACIEEM
Katie works closely with Ecologi’s reforestation and other implementation partners, ensuring that funding from our community goes to the best projects, and sharing stories about the projects with the Ecologi community. As Ecologi continues to grow, Katie is helping to identify new types of impact projects, enabling Ecologi customers to fund cutting-edge climate action with some of the most well-respected organisations around the world.
Katie has a Master’s degree in Biology from University of York, where she focused on ecology and conservation, and during which she worked in the North York Moors National Park’s Conservation department, where she gained knowledge about protected species, habitat management, and on-the-ground conservation work. This  hands-on experience combined with her understanding of the theory of conservation and ecology helps Katie to guide Ecologi’s decisions so that we optimise our positive impact on people, biodiversity, and the planet.

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<h2>Lucy Gemmell, Carbon Portfolio Manager</h2>
In her role as Carbon Portfolio Manager, Lucy drives our in-house due diligence to identify top-tier carbon avoidance and removal projects, manages our relationships with project developers, and helps to educate customers in ensuring they are communicating about their impact correctly. In her work, she manages our relationships with a number of our key strategic impact partners including Sylvera and Earth Blox. Lucy originally joined Ecologi in 2022 as part of our Commercial team and spent a year working cross-departmentally, immersing herself in the voluntary carbon market before transitioning permanently into the Impact team. 
Lucy has a diverse background, having managed a boutique real estate brokerage in her earlier career and chaired the board of an education-based NGO in Johannesburg, South Africa. She is currently pursuing a Master&#8217;s degree in Climate Change and Development, following the recent completion of an ESG Specialisation from the Corporate Finance Institute.

Alongside the Impact team, we have some incredible individuals who assist us in reaching our goals and supporting our work. Collaboration is at the heart of everything we do, and their contributions help us stay on track and maintain momentum.

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<h2>Monsoon Modi, Commercial Operations Executive</h2>
Monsoon originally joined Ecologi in 2022 as part of our Customer Success team and spent a year working cross-departmentally before moving into the Commercial team, now as an Operations Executive. 
Key to her role is optimising commercial projects, building commercial resources and providing support for small businesses along their sustainability journey. Monsoon also supports the Impact Team with internal educational material, project reports and administrative tasks. 
With a degree in Politics and International Relations, Monsoon is currently pursuing a Master&#8217;s degree in Environmental Sustainability at the University of Edinburgh.

<h2>Climate Committee </h2>
Ecologi’s Climate Committee was founded in 2021 to bring together industry experts and research professionals who sit outside of the business to bring specialist knowledge and support to maximise our climate impact. Our committee members bring best-practice thinking, and ongoing developments with regard to global climate science, carbon accounting methodology, nature-based projects and the voluntary carbon market through our three working groups, Nature, Climate and Policy.
The committee supports the Impact team through providing expert knowledge across specialist fields which help shape the future of the team, and the wider business. In turn, this improves our internal decision-making and strategy development through staying at the forefront of industry developments and innovation.

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Case studies

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Case study: the Focusrite Group

<h2>About the Focusrite Group </h2>
<a href="https://x.ecologi.com/focusritegroup" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Focusrite</a> is not your average audio technology group. This passionate bunch is united by a single objective: to smash through barriers and unleash boundless creativity in the world of sound.
Founded in 1985 and based in High Wycombe, this team of over 500 is on a mission to remove barriers to creativity. And they believe that technology can play an important role in breaking down other barriers too, including geographical, social, economic, and even environmental. 
Focusrite is an organisation that’s driven by purpose, with a keen desire to be a force for good in the world. Responsible practices are an essential part of how they do business, and that includes keeping a keen eye on their impact on the environment.

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<h2>Issue</h2>
Focusrite has been working to reduce its environmental impact for many years and in 2020 developed a carbon accounting process that now provides near real-time data on Scope 1, 2, and 3 GHG emissions.
This progress has allowed the team to set goals, but they are in the process of applying to set Science Based Targets (SBT) to replace them. In the meantime they are already aligning their approach with SBT guidelines. 
As a UK-based company, Focusrite is committed to 2050 as the ultimate deadline for net-zero, but they want to get there quicker. So their approach is not to set a net-zero target year until they have gone through the SBT application process by 2026 at the latest, and instead use carbon reduction metrics and targets to set them up for long-term success.

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<h2>Challenges</h2>
The team at Focusrite use emissions data to guide action, and their emissions are largely dominated by their hardware products, which account for 96% of GHG emissions. 
They have already made good progress in reducing the use of aluminium, plastic, and product packaging, with many more areas under review. As they roll out changes across their product range, the team aims to increase the pace of their reductions, with any new products being designed from more sustainable materials from the start.
Focusrite is striving to become a sustainability leader in its industry, setting the standard for peers to emulate. Environmental stewardship is a big part of that, and the message from the entire employee base is that they want to support nature beyond their value chain. This is why they reached out to Ecologi to help them do more good for our planet.

<h2>Solution </h2>
Focusrite has worked with Ecologi since 2021. Ecologi supports the team to fund tree planting for internal initiatives like employee charity fundraising, but also to offset the wood used in their products. The wood used is already FSC certified, so by planting trees with Ecologi they replace more than they consume. 
Focusrite also works with Ecologi to support projects to mitigate any remaining Scope 1 and 2 emissions they can’t avoid. So far they have funded 17 projects, including a solar power project in Morocco, supplying high efficiency cookstoves in Somalia, and preserving Amazonian rainforest in Brazil.
The team isn&#8217;t shy about sharing Focusrite’s success. They talk about their climate impact prominently in their annual report and employee newsletter, and dive into the details in their dedicated environment and climate reports. 
Taking such positive climate action has boosted Focusrite’s reputation with customers and colleagues alike. They have enjoyed press coverage for their tree planting, which positioned them as a leader in their industry, and they have even had employees join the company purely because of their environmental sustainability programme.

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<h2>Outcome</h2>
Since 2021, the Focusrite Group has funded the planting of 89,080 trees, supported the prevention of 132 tonnes of CO2e from being emitted, and funded the removal of 81 tonnes of CO2e from the atmosphere. In total 17 different projects have been funded.

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<h2>Is your business ready to take climate action?</h2>
If this article has inspired your business to start its climate journey, talk to our team today.

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What happened at COP29

This year’s Conference of the Parties is underway in Baku, Azerbaijan and will run until the 22nd of November. Our team at Ecologi are monitoring the daily events to give you real-time analysis and reactions to the developments and agreements taking place. 
What is COP29? Click <a href="https://x.ecologi.com/articles/uncategorised/what-to-expect-at-cop29" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a> for a comprehensive guide to all things COP29. 
What happened at COP28? Click <a href="https://x.ecologi.com/articles/blog/whats-happening-at-cop28" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a> to read a full report of the event in 2023.

<h2>Overall sentiment &#8211; COP29 wrap-up</h2>
The overall sentiment at COP29 reflects a little bit of progress and an awful lot of frustration. As is often the case at the climate COPs, any progress that does get made is often overshadowed by the missed opportunities – and this one is no exception on that front.
The largest positive from this COP is in the agreements made on operationalising carbon market standards under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. This consensus signals hope for greater transparency, higher standards, and clear opportunities for businesses to engage in global climate action projects, in a new carbon market managed under the UN framework. These draft documents on Article 6 were published on the first day of the COP and have stayed relatively static since then – indicating that agreement was achieved early. They did come under criticism though, with the Presidency offering up documents to be accepted as-is, with no opportunity for countries to scrutinise the wording.
The COP as a whole, and its broader negotiations on a range of other topics, have been marred by tensions, frustrations, and geopolitics. Proceedings were thrown somewhat, by world leaders disappearing from the world leaders’ summit at the conference and reconvening in Brazil (next year’s COP host country) for the G20 – leading to <a href="https://www.gov.br/planalto/pt-br/media/18-11-2024-declaracao-de-lideres-g20.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a multilateral G20 declaration</a> which seemed to both celebrate and chastise the country negotiators back in Baku. 
Geopolitics making things difficult – COP29 has taken place against a backdrop of heightened geopolitical tensions between a wide range of countries, which have diverted attention and resources away from climate action and have complicated negotiations. Add to that the problems coming from the COP itself – from country boycotts, to backhanded oil and gas deals, to threats to drop out of the Paris Agreement by Argentina (a threat which was later clarified as rescinded) and by the USA (which is likely to be upheld under the incoming administration) – and it’s easy to wonder how nearly 200 countries can be convinced to agree on anything at all. Let alone an issue with the gravity, urgency, and complexity of climate change.
Poor management by the Presidency – if you’ve followed our daily coverage you’ll have spotted over the past two weeks how this COP has felt quite chaotic and frenetic. It hasn’t really felt throughout proceedings that the Presidency is in control of things – and this applies on the diplomatic level but also in a practical sense, with uncomfortable stories coming out of the conference centre about poorly-managed bathroom facilities and catering. On the draft decisions, the Presidency’s strategy has been cavalier and uncharitable, with something of a ‘take-it-or-leave-it’ attitude to negotiations which isn’t helpful or conducive to compromise. On the last day of the COP, the Climate Action Network awarded the Azerbaijani Presidency their Fossil of the Day award because it “doesn’t understand the gravity of the Presidency, or for that matter the value of civil society”. This is a damning assessment, but one which is hard to disagree with.
Somehow, fossil fuels are still the elephant in the room – we heard from UNEP before COP29 started that <a href="https://www.unep.org/resources/emissions-gap-report-2024" target="_blank" rel="noopener">global emissions are still rising</a>, driven by continued fossil fuel use – and yet COP29 has failed to advance any fossil fuel reduction commitments. In Dubai last year, we saw the agreed cover text mention the “phase-down of unabated coal power”, the “transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems” and the “phasing out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies” (which was pretty weak in itself). This year, the fossil fuel lobby was typically massive – with over 1,700 fossil fuel lobbyists in attendance. Despite the overwhelming scientific evidence showing that fossil fuels must stay in the ground, the dominance of fossil fuel interests has continued to undermine progress, with the Arab Group in particular this year refusing to back any texts that reference the phasing out of fossil fuels. The COP29 texts on the UAE dialogue and the Mitigation Work Programme (which ought to have been used to further the outcomes of last year’s Global Stocktake) were meant to enhance climate mitigation. The final version of the MWP fails to mention the transition away from fossil fuels, the 1.5ºC warming goal or the Global Stocktake and its outcomes, and the UAE dialogue on how to proceed on the Global Stocktake wasn’t adopted at all. Interestingly, the earliest drafts did mention the 1.5ºC warming goal and the seriousness of 2023 being the warmest year on record. As the drafts progressed this messaging was removed, despite many calling for the final text to be more ambitious and specific. A deal on the MWP was adopted during the closing plenary session without any intervention. 
Article 6 and UK government provide a few reasons to be positive for businesses 
Whilst the overall sentiment at this year’s COP29 has been disappointment, particularly regarding the pace of global climate action and the lack of firm commitments from key global players, there are still some glimmers of hope for businesses. Among the more promising developments is the aforementioned progress on Article 6 of the Paris Agreement and the UK government’s climate commitments. The outcomes on Article 6 pose a step forward for businesses. By advancing frameworks for international carbon markets, COP29 has created a clearer pathway for companies to engage in high-quality carbon offsetting and trading, fostering transparency and credibility in the process. This opens up new opportunities for organisations globally to progress towards net-zero targets whilst supporting climate action projects and global emission reductions. 
The UK government’s renewed focus on climate policy has created incentives such as increased funding for green technology, support for nature based projects and streamlined regulation for sustainable investment, catalysing innovation and market growth. The developments at COP29 have reinforced the role of businesses as a key actor in the fight against climate change when world leaders fall short on agreeing ambitious climate goals. Through embracing innovation, adopting bold emission reduction targets and funding climate action, companies can fill the leadership gap and accelerate progress where governments falter.

COP29 - Daily updates 

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The two-week conference, scheduled for November 11th-22nd will bring together representatives from all countries that have agreed to be bound by the UNFCCC. The conference takes place annually to negotiate new measures, develop policy and review progress against the goal of limiting climate change.
Azerbaijan, the host nation, has received its fair share of criticism for becoming this year’s COP president. Oil and Gas make up 92.5% of the country’s GDP per capita, and President Ilham Aliyev has stated his support for oil and gas producing nations to continue investing in the sector, clashing with last year’s COP28 outcome in which all nations called for accelerating the transition away from fossil fuels.

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<h2>The key talking points and priorities in the run up to COP29</h2>
This year, priorities are focused on climate finance, with COP29 being coined the Finance COP, this is reiterated by the programme of scheduling with Finance, Investment and Trade taking priority spot on the first day of discussions.
Energy and Science are also high on the agenda, while Nature and Biodiversity and Oceans and Coastal Zones take more of a back seat, only being scheduled for the final day before negotiations; naturally, this comes as a disappointment as this signals these areas of discussion are considered lower priority when compared with energy and finance.
It is likely momentum and attendance will decrease by the end of week two and could undermine the urgency needed to address the implications of climate change on nature globally and reduce their integration into wider climate strategies.
The following key priorities are expected to lead discussions at COP29;
<h3>New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG)</h3>
Developing countries, particularly those most vulnerable to climate change, require substantial financial support to transition to green economies and adapt to climate impacts. COP29 aims to agree on a new commitment to provide annual climate finance to developing countries, replacing a goal of $100 billion per annum set in 2009 at COP15. The World Economic Forum states that ‘the NCQG must be ambitious yet realistic, balancing the financial capacities of developed countries with the urgent needs of developing nations’.
<h3>Growing the loss and damage fund</h3>
Established and operationalised at COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, the loss and damage fund acknowledges the disproportionate burden that climate change places on vulnerable nations. It is a financial mechanism that helps countries cope with the loss and damages they face due to climate change – this includes loss of life, damage to infrastructure and displacement.
At COP29, there is hope to see significant progress in the fund’s operationalisation and funding. Countries are expected to make substantial pledges to the fund to ensure it can meet the needs of developing countries. To date, major contributors include the UAE, Germany and the United States. Other big-emitting countries such as China and Saudi Arabia are yet to announce their intention to contribute to the fund.
<h3>Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs)</h3>
At COP29, nations will be encouraged to commit to more ambitious and robust Nationally Determined Contributions; these are climate action commitments made by countries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to climate change mitigation, aligning with the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
NDCs are submitted every 5 years to the UNFCCC, and with the next global stocktake approaching NDCs are to be put forward by February 2025, demonstrating increased ambition and concrete action plans. At COP29, there is likely to be a push to provide financial and technical support to developing countries to enable them to outline and implement NDCs of their own.
<h3>Article 6 of the Paris Agreement</h3>
Article 6 of the Paris Agreement aims to promote the use of carbon markets to achieve their climate targets. At COP29 we can expect discussions with regards to how a robust and well-regulated international carbon market can be developed and maintained. A key goal of COP29 is to finalise the rulebook for Article 6, which will provide clear guidelines for its implementation, and address concerns with regards to the quality of carbon credits, double counting and sustainable development.

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<h2>Who is attending COP29</h2>
With just 2 months to go until COP29 kicks off, there has been minimal discussion with regards to which World Leaders we can expect at the event.
From the UK, Ed Miliband, the newly appointed Secretary of State for Energy and Net Zero, is confirmed to be leading UK negotiations for COP29. However, with the USA election taking place just 5 days before COP29 begins, it is unlikely that the President will be in attendance. As the event draws closer, we can expect more countries to confirm which delegates will attend.

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<h2>What to expect during COP29</h2>
An anticipated 40,000 participants are heading to COP29, almost half the number of attendees than at <a href="https://x.ecologi.com/articles/blog/whats-happening-at-cop28" target="_blank" rel="noopener">COP28</a> in Dubai last year; this poses the question of if bigger is necessarily better, fewer attendees reduce the environmental impact of the conferences, with the UN Climate Chief Simon Stiell <a href="https://www.climatechangenews.com/2024/04/24/peak-cop-un-looks-to-shrink-baku-and-belem-climate-summits/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">saying he hopes to see fewer people attending COPs </a>as size does not necessarily translate to the quality of outcomes.
COP29 still presents a crucial opportunity to make significant strides in climate action, by focusing on climate finance and reaffirming climate goals, countries can collectively work together to provide the funding and tools necessary to shape the trajectory of global climate efforts.

<h2>Partner with us for COP29 and beyond</h2>
Over the next 12 months we want to support as many businesses as possible to tackle climate change.
If your business is interested in a partnership to help scale climate action or starting its climate journey during COP29 or beyond, get in touch.

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