COP29: Our man in Baku
California's very own Barry Vesser shares his impressions of the conference.
Today, on the last *official* day of the COP, a new set of negotiating texts were released at 3pm local time, which appear to have pleased no-one. “The disappointment was palpable,” notes the IISD1, which gives a bulleted run-down of why countries were unanimously upset.
Now the COP heads into overtime, with negotiations continuing, and the plenary due to reconvene tomorrow (Saturday). We’ll see what, if anything, these continued negotiations yield.
In the meantime, we’re delighted to publish below an interview we did with California’s very own Barry Vesser—the COO of The Climate Center. Before flying back to the Golden State, Barry kindly shared a few reflections on his time observing the COP up close.
Thanks for reading!
California at COP
On his last day in Baku, Barry Vesser, the COO of The Climate Center, chatted to The Condor’s editor, , about his experience observing COP29. It’s the fourth time The Climate Center–a California-based nonprofit focused on decarbonization–has had official observer status at COP.
Burning questions
“A lot of people are asking what the U.S. election results mean for the U.S.’s ongoing commitment and climate,” said Vesser, on the phone from Baku on Thursday.
He noted that, at a COP29 press conference featuring elected officials representing four different states (California, Nevada, New Mexico, and Washington), there was unanimous agreement that regardless of who was in the White House, those states were committed to decarbonization. Vesser emphasized that “what states do matters, because California is the fifth largest economy in the world, and New York is the 10th”. He added that these and other states committed to climate action can also influence the rest of the United States by demonstrating that climate investments and a vibrant economy are not mutually exclusive.
While Trump’s federal victory has certainly cast pall, Vesser spotlighted the significance of climate victories at the state level this November. In California, voters gave the thumbs up to a $10bn climate bond. And, a majority of Washington’s voters ensured the defeat of a rightwing ballot initiative funded by a billionaire that had attempted to scrap the Evergreen State’s climate cap-and-invest program.
Fair share?
Vesser said that on a COP29 panel he participated in, a fellow panelist pointed out that the wealthiest 10% of the world (which includes much of the United States) is responsible for 50% of global greenhouse gas emissions. The top 1% of the world’s wealthiest people produce more carbon emissions than the poorest third of all the world’s people.
Vesser said this offers a sense of where the responsibility lies for historic and current emissions—and it underscores the importance of the discussions about financing decarbonization and loss and damage that have been unfolding in Baku. Many poorer countries are already “being ravaged by impacts from extreme weather driven by climate change.” He said, “It's not abstract. Real human beings are being impacted even as we speak, and if we don't act quickly, it's going to be worse.”
With negotiators still haggling–and seemingly as far away from a breakthrough as ever–when we chatted, Vesser said, “It will be a hugely deflating thing if they don't come to an agreement about this, especially after the G20 signaled to the negotiators at COP that they should be ambitious.”
Vesser pointed out that some 600 million people in Africa do not have access to electricity, while in California, there are microgrids, distributed energy, like solar and storage, and other kinds of energy management systems—in other words, “things that could be hugely helpful to people in countries that don't have that basic infrastructure,” said Vesser.
“We have a moral responsibility in the West to start providing technical assistance and financing for people there,” Vesser said. But it’s not just a matter of good morals. “It's in our blatant self-interest, too, because if 600 million Africans get power through fossil fuel generation instead of renewables, then it’s pretty much gameover for climate.”
Powerful protest
While autocratic Azerbaijan is notorious for persecuting dissidents, the regime has allowed some climate protests to take place at COP29. Leaving the venue one day, Vesser saw a group had organized a protest in support of some 20 people from around the world who have been jailed for criticizing their governments for their handling of the environment or climate.
“They had huge photos of them. And then the protesters, all wearing black, came out and told the activists’ personal stories. It was really powerful,” he recalled.
Golden statecraft
While Gavin Newsom gave COP a miss this year, Vesser is advocating for California’s governor to attend next year’s gathering in Belem, Brazil. This is because, although subnational governments like California’s don’t have a seat at the global negotiating table, a robust presence can help to convey moral support for the process, and demonstrate a commitment to climate action at the state level.
“If President-elect Trump pulls this out of the Paris Accord again—as I suspect he will—it will be really important for there to be a significant political presence from the United States. And that is something California can and should do,” said Vesser.
The International Institute for Sustainable Development has been doing an excellent job of covering COP29.
I really like the story taking a positive, what can we do angle.