Rich countries have pledged to fund the fight against climate change with a deal committing at least $300 billion a year struck at UN talks in Azerbaijan.
A fiercely contested package was approved on Sunday in Baku after the developed world raised its offer from $250 billion, bringing talks at the Cop29 summit to a delayed conclusion. The negotiations had teetered on the brink of collapse as delegates from Africa and island states walked out of last-ditch meetings amid pleas for more funding.
The compromise deal calls on “all actors” to help raise the $1.3 trillion a year sum requested by the developing world. However, a $300 billion core to be arranged by rich countries is smaller and vaguer than poor and hard-hit nations had pushed for in two weeks of talks in Azerbaijan.
It can include private finance and “encourages” emerging economies to chip in – two points insisted on by the US and Europe. Weary delegates applauded as summit President Mukhtar Babayev concluded the deal shortly before 3am in Baku.
Reacting to the deal, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said he had hoped for a more ambitious outcome but added the agreement “provides a base on which to build”.
Simon Stiell, executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, hailed it as an insurance policy for humanity. “This deal will keep the clean energy boom growing and protect billions of lives. It will help all countries to share in the huge benefits of bold climate action: more jobs, stronger growth, cheaper and cleaner energy for all”, he said.
Talks ran deep into the night as the Azerbaijani hosts sought to bridge deep divides on how to finance emissions cuts, disaster preparation and recovery. They said they had “faced geopolitical headwinds and made every effort to be an honest broker for all sides”.
But it was clear that some states had let the deal pass only begrudgingly. Cuba, a member of a powerful group of developing nations including China, said the package will “in no way lead to an improvement in the situation”. India said it was “extremely disappointed” that the deal had been concluded before more arguments could be heard.
In a plenary session on Saturday night, Mr Babayev said “time is not on our side”. He urged negotiators to step up engagement with one another and “to bridge that remaining divide”.
Crucial players had rejected a $1.3 trillion proposal presented by Azerbaijan on Friday. The plan aimed to establish a $250 billion annual minimum to fund the fight against climate change, to be arranged by wealthier nations – far below the amount requested by developing countries.
The Alliance of Small Island States (Aosis) had earlier walked out of negotiations which they said were “not offering a progressive way forward.” Small island developing states and least developing countries are among the worst affected by the climate crisis.
Aosis chairman, Samoan minister Cedric Schuster, said its calls have been continuously ignored. “After this Cop29 ends, we cannot just sail off into the sunset. We are literally sinking.”
Brazil's Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, Marina Silva, has questioned why the value of financing was put forward only in the final hours of the summit. In place of the $250 billion core proposed in the latest text, Brazil wanted to raise the figure to $300 billion until 2030, and $390 billion until 2035.
Climate activists used a rally on Saturday to urge developing countries to “hold the line” in the talks. Haneen Mahmoud Ali Hamed, a delegate from Climate Action Network’s Arab world branch, said the global south was “asking for reasonable numbers”.
“It’s not a lot, it’s our right,” she said. “We are asking for trillions – these trillions they are spending on nonsense. Wars, taking our resources … but they don’t want us to take the trillions that we deserve.”
Carbon market win for Cop29
The Cop29 presidency has managed to end the decade-long wait for the conclusion of negotiations on high-integrity carbon markets.
Known as Article 6 under the 2015 Paris Agreement, the aim was to provide transparent carbon markets for countries as they collaborate to reach their climate goals. It allows nations to transfer carbon credits earned through emission reductions to assist in meeting their climate targets.
This cross-border co-operation is expected to reduce the cost of introducing countries’ national climate plans by up to $250 billion a year.
“Today, we have unlocked one of the most complex and technical challenges in climate diplomacy,” said Cop29 lead negotiator Yalchin Rafiyev. “Article 6 is hard to understand, but its impacts will be clear in our everyday lives. It means coal plants decommissioned, wind farms built and forests planted. It means a new wave of investment in the developing world.”
The outcome was a hard-earned achievement. Although the Glasgow and Sharm El-Sheikh Cops succeeded in establishing vital rules and procedures for carbon markets, the final components of Article 6 were left unresolved. Leading up to Cop29, these negotiations had reached a standstill, causing a significant delay in the full implementation.
UAE SQUAD
UAE team
1. Chris Jones-Griffiths 2. Gio Fourie 3. Craig Nutt 4. Daniel Perry 5. Isaac Porter 6. Matt Mills 7. Hamish Anderson 8. Jaen Botes 9. Barry Dwyer 10. Luke Stevenson (captain) 11. Sean Carey 12. Andrew Powell 13. Saki Naisau 14. Thinus Steyn 15. Matt Richards
Replacements
16. Lukas Waddington 17. Murray Reason 18. Ahmed Moosa 19. Stephen Ferguson 20. Sean Stevens 21. Ed Armitage 22. Kini Natuna 23. Majid Al Balooshi
House-hunting
Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove
- Edinburgh, Scotland
- Westminster, London
- Camden, London
- Glasgow, Scotland
- Islington, London
- Kensington and Chelsea, London
- Highlands, Scotland
- Argyll and Bute, Scotland
- Fife, Scotland
- Tower Hamlets, London
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
How do Sim card scams work?
Sim swap frauds are a form of identity theft.
They involve criminals conning mobile phone operators into issuing them with replacement Sim cards by claiming to be the victim, often pretending their phone has been lost or stolen in order to secure a new Sim.
They use the victim's personal details - obtained through criminal methods - to convince such companies of their identity.
The criminal can then access any online service that requires security codes to be sent to a user's mobile phone, such as banking services.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Brief scores:
Barcelona 3
Pique 38', Messi 51 (pen), Suarez 82'
Rayo Vallecano 1
De Tomas Gomez 24'
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
School counsellors on mental well-being
Schools counsellors in Abu Dhabi have put a number of provisions in place to help support pupils returning to the classroom next week.
Many children will resume in-person lessons for the first time in 10 months and parents previously raised concerns about the long-term effects of distance learning.
Schools leaders and counsellors said extra support will be offered to anyone that needs it. Additionally, heads of years will be on hand to offer advice or coping mechanisms to ease any concerns.
“Anxiety this time round has really spiralled, more so than from the first lockdown at the beginning of the pandemic,” said Priya Mitchell, counsellor at The British School Al Khubairat in Abu Dhabi.
“Some have got used to being at home don’t want to go back, while others are desperate to get back.
“We have seen an increase in depressive symptoms, especially with older pupils, and self-harm is starting younger.
“It is worrying and has taught us how important it is that we prioritise mental well-being.”
Ms Mitchell said she was liaising more with heads of year so they can support and offer advice to pupils if the demand is there.
The school will also carry out mental well-being checks so they can pick up on any behavioural patterns and put interventions in place to help pupils.
At Raha International School, the well-being team has provided parents with assessment surveys to see how they can support students at home to transition back to school.
“They have created a Well-being Resource Bank that parents have access to on information on various domains of mental health for students and families,” a team member said.
“Our pastoral team have been working with students to help ease the transition and reduce anxiety that [pupils] may experience after some have been nearly a year off campus.
"Special secondary tutorial classes have also focused on preparing students for their return; going over new guidelines, expectations and daily schedules.”
A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi
Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Rating: 4/5
It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Mobile phone packages comparison
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre flat-six twin-turbocharged
Transmission: eight-speed PDK automatic
Power: 445bhp
Torque: 530Nm
Price: Dh474,600
On Sale: Now
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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5
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Brief scoreline:
Manchester United 2
Rashford 28', Martial 72'
Watford 1
Doucoure 90'
