Taking place in Azerbaijan from 11^th to 22^nd November, the 29^th annual Conference of the Parties (COP29) is a vast gathering of government representatives and climate experts. Negotiations take place over two weeks each year, and decisions are made on the best approaches to tackling the causes and consequences of climate change.

Around 50,000 delegates are attending COP29, alongside high-profile attendees including UN secretary general Antonio Guterres, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, Sultan Al Jaber, and World Bank president Ajay Banga.

However, there will also be seats left empty at the highest tables: President Emmanuel Macron, Premier Xi Jinping, President Joe Biden, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India are all not attending. This leaves four of the top 10 largest economies, and largest carbon emitters, absent from this year’s proceedings.

Nevertheless, discussions are ongoing, particularly around ‘climate finance’. The United Nations defines climate finance as finance for activities supporting action on climate change mitigation and adaptation. With extreme weather events brought on by unprecedented global temperature spikes, smaller nations and developing countries have never been more vulnerable to the dangers of climate change.

These countries want to see climate finance total over $1 trillion a year by 2030, which will require a vast increase in investment and a full restructuring of how the finance is delivered.

The week has not been without controversy, either. Proceedings launched with a fiery speech from Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who raved about oil and gas, and by Day 3 Argentina’s entire delegation had been forcibly withdrawn by their far-right President Javier Milei. Tensions are high, and concerns are mounting about the ability of this year’s COP to deliver meaningful change.

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Taking office in January 2025, Donald Trump will once again have the power to remove the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement and rubber-stamp a flurry of oil and gas drilling. Having already spent four years in the White House, from 2017 to 2021, Trump will be able to set off on the front foot, with climate experts fearing a “far more methodical second presidency”. And, with the two-term presidential limit in the United States, Trump won’t be burdened with the realities of re-election. Instead, he can be aggressive with his domestic and international agendas, acting almost with impunity.

Also in his sightline is Biden’s flagship Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), a $370 billion uplift supporting clean energy; repealing the IRA is reported to be a “prized target” for Trump. However, analysis has shown that Republican congressional districts, in states such as North Carolina, Georgia and Nevada, have benefitted most from the IRA’s employment growth and clean energy investments. If Trump attempts to drive away this deep-rooted investment, he may face widespread opposition from his own party.

Despite the initial shock at Donald Trump’s win, there is hope among some experts. Gina McCarthy, former climate adviser to Joe Biden, said: “The shift to clean energy is unstoppable and our country is not turning back. We cannot and will not let Trump stand in the way of giving our kids and grandkids the freedom to grow up in safer and healthier communities.”

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Underpinning the Chancellor’s strategy are seven “key pillars”:

• 1. Restore economic stability

• 2. Increase investment

• 3. Ensure all areas of the UK realise their potential

• 4. Improve employment prospects

• 5. Launch a long-term, modern industrial strategy

• 6. Drive innovation

And, most importantly for us:

• 7. Maximise the growth benefits of our clean energy mission

As the Labour Party takes their seat as the ruling Government for the first time since 2010, they have a particularly sizeable task to face: achieving their Clean Power by 2030 target. This will require significant public and private investment, planning system reform, and deep-rooted stakeholder cooperation.

The Chancellor confirmed a £2bn boost for 11 new green hydrogen projects, £125m to kickstart the creation of GB Energy, and the removal of the 29% investment allowance for oil and gas companies, a move which will ensure fossil fuel developers contribute more fairly to the energy transition. The Chancellor has also promised £70bn through the National Wealth Fund to “invest in the industries of the future”, and £3.4bn for the Warm Homes Plan for 2025/26 – 2027/28 for heat decarbonisation and energy efficiency.

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Environmental campaigners Friends of the Earth (FoE) and South Lakes Action on Climate Change (SLACC) celebrated the “huge victory”, citing “cutting edge evidence” as fundamental to their win. Their legal challenge against the coal mine centred on the assertion that “greenhouse gas emissions from burning the coal should have been factored in before the project was green-lit”.

The news comes as the UK toasts its greenest summer ever, where over 80% of our electricity came from renewables and August boasted 288 consecutive coal free hours. Niall Toru, senior lawyer for FoE, said: “The case against it is overwhelming; it would have huge climate impacts, its coal isn’t needed and it harms the UK’s international reputation on climate”.

This isn’t the final hurdle for the campaigners, however. Unless the developers of the coal mine fully withdraw the planning application, the plans must be revisited; this may result in the planning inquiry being reopened, which is something that the campaigners hope to avoid.

To view the High Court decision, please visit here. Click here to read the full article from the BBC.

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The new Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, rounded off his exultant victory speech by stating that the UK now has the opportunity to “get its future back”. But what will this future look like? What can the Labour Party do over the next 100 days and weeks to stimulate investment, prioritise growth, and get the UK back on track with net zero?

Labour’s mandate is strong, giving them the green-light to act boldly on social, economic, and environmental matters. Not only did Labour win more than 400 seats, but they also unseated multiple senior Tory MPs including Penny Mordaunt, Jacob Rees-Mogg, Grant Shapps, and former Prime Minister Liz Truss. The UK electoral system proved frustrating for Reform UK who, despite garnering over 4 million votes, managed to translate that into only 4 seats.

The Liberal Democrats and the Green Party, however, have seen huge improvements. Overnight, the Greens quadrupled their presence in Parliament, securing 4 seats, and the Lib Dems secured over 70 seats, citing an imaginative campaign strategy and a crumbling Conservative vote as their reasons for success. Both parties have promised to hold the new government to account, particularly on issues such as housing and the environment.

Starmer’s election manifesto, titled ‘Change’, highlights his key focuses:

• Build an NHS fit for the future, with 40,000 more appointments every year and 8,500 additional mental health staff
• Commit to NATO, international development, and trade agreements
• Close tax loopholes to fund investment in public services

And, on the topic of making Britain a clean energy superpower:

• Enact a time-limited windfall tax on oil and gas giants, funding a Warm Homes Plan
• Establish Great British Energy, a publicly-owned company, aiming to invite communities to come forwards with their own projects
• Make British business competitive again, to mobilise private investment and accelerate net zero

These are admirable aims, but success requires decisive action.

Mike Childs, Head of Policy at Friends of the Earth, urged: “It couldn’t be more imperative that the new government makes the environment a top priority.” Others are prompting the incoming government to develop a “clear roadmap” to net zero, with a detailed climate plan setting out the path to 2050. Labour must focus on planning reform, too, to unravel grid delays and unleash renewable energy development.

Principally, the Greens’ strong showing should indicate to Labour that the environment has very much taken a top spot on the public agenda.

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