UNFCCC Executive Secretary Simon Stiell speaks in the early hours at the conclusion of the UNFCCC COP29 Climate Conference on November 24, 2024 in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Sean Gallup | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Ambitious climate action often requires ambitious financing — be it a clean energy transition project or helping developing countries mitigate the effects of natural disasters.
But as extreme weather becomes more the norm and temperatures rise across the planet, what is supposed to be a critical year for funding mitigation efforts has instead turned out to be an especially frustrating one.
Nearly 50,000 people from 200 countries — including, for the first time, the Taliban rulers of Afghanistan — were in Azerbaijan for this year’s United Nations Climate Change Conference, with the goal of reaching a critical deal on climate finance. The conference was set to end Friday but negotiations over funding extended into the weekend.
A draft of a deal to help the world adapt …