Can COP Be Fixed?

Current conditions: The Philippines issued its highest storm alert ahead of Super Typhoon Usagi • Pakistan declared a health emergency in Punjab as toxic smog worsened • Tropical Storm Sara is not expected to pose a major threat to Florida.

THE TOP FIVE

1. Leading climate advocates call for overhaul of COP process

Some of the leading voices on global climate science and policy have called for a fundamental overhaul of the COP process, saying the current structure “simply cannot deliver the change” at the exponential speed and scale that is necessary. The open letter, addressed to Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC Simon Stiell, is signed by 22 prominent researchers, advocates, and policymakers including former UNFCCC Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres, former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, and Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Action Research Johan Rockström. In short, the letter calls for less talk and more action, recommending the following measures:

• Climate COP host countries must support the energy transition.
• COP meetings must be smaller and more frequent, “where countries report on progress, are held accountable in line with the latest science.”
• Countries must be held to account for their climate commitments through better reporting, benchmarking, and tracking mechanisms.
• A clear definition of climate finance must be issued, “along with common reporting frameworks and tracking mechanisms to verify climate financing flows.”
• COP should have its own permanent scientific advisory body.
• Negotiations should consider the interconnected issues of nature loss, inequality, and poverty.
• Stop the flood of fossil fuel lobbyists at climate COPs, and ensure equitable representation from other parties like scientists and Indigenous communities.

So far negotiations at COP29 in Baku have been slow and unproductive. The president of host country Azerbaijan used his speech at the event to hail fossil fuels as a “gift of god.” Meanwhile multiple new reports have been released showing that emissions continue to rise and that the fossil fuel sector's commitments are not aligned with the Paris Agreement.

2. Trump taps Burgum for Department of the Interior

President-elect Donald Trump has tapped North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum to lead the Department of the Interior. Trump made the announcement during a gala at Mar-a-Lago yesterday. “I won’t tell you his name — it might be something like Burgum,” Trump said. “Actually, he’s going to head the Department of Interior, and he’s going to be fantastic.” The DOI manages and protects federal lands, natural resources, and cultural heritage. As The New York Times pointed out, “its agencies lease many of those acres for oil and gas drilling as well as wind and solar farms.” There had been some rumors that Burgum would be selected to serve as Trump’s “energy czar,” but as Interior Secretary, he will be able to pursue Trump’s goal of expanding oil and gas drilling.

3. Vaulted Deep raises $32.3 million in Series A

Biomass carbon removal and storage startup Vaulted Deep has raised $32.3 million in Series A funding. The company, which launched just last year, removes carbon by locking it away in organic waste (like biosolids, food, or manure) that it buries underground using already existing well infrastructure. So far Vaulted Deep has issued more than 7,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide removal, which it claims is “the industry's fastest and highest rate of deliveries in the first year of operations for durable CDR.” The company plans to use the new funding to develop new wells and grow its CDR capabilities. Earlier this year the decarbonization coalition Frontier facilitated $58 million in offtake agreements with the startup to remove 152,480 tons of CO2 by 2027.

4. Climate TRACE report lists most-polluting cities

Climate TRACE, the research coalition co-founded by Al Gore, released a report today that provides incredibly detailed greenhouse gas emissions data for geographic regions. The report reveals emissions from every country, but goes further to measure state, province, and county emissions, too. Shanghai is the most polluting city in the world, and China, India, Iran, Vietnam, and Brazil saw some of the biggest increases in emissions between 2022 and 2023. The U.S. remained the second largest emitter, but actually saw emissions decrease by 61,886,693.5 metric tons during that time. Seven states or provinces emit more than 1 billion metric tons of greenhouse gases. All but one are in China. The other is in Texas. “One of the sites in the Permian Basin in Texas is by far the No. 1 worst polluting site in the entire world,” said Gore. The report found that nearly 400 states in the top 30 most emitting countries have seen their emissions fall since 2021. But it also says that oil and gas emissions are probably three times higher than what is being reported by producers.

5. UK aims to ban new coal mines

The UK government announced yesterday it will ban new coal mining licenses as part of its shift toward “the clean energy age.” “The UK has led the way in meeting global climate change targets to phase out coal-fired power. The government’s plan to prevent future coal mining is another step in its mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower, by transitioning away from fossil fuels to cleaner, homegrown energy sources,” announcement said. The UK closed its last remaining coal power plant earlier this year.

THE KICKER

There are more than 1,700 oil and gas lobbyists at this year’s COP29 climate summit. That is more than the combined number of delegates from the 10 nations most vulnerable to climate change.