Georgina Rannard
Climate reporter in Baku

The plenary has finished. But not before the COP presidency managed to get one agreement passed.

It's about carbon markets - or about if countries can agree on a system where they could "buy" credits in nations that, for example, have lots of trees to store carbon. In return, the buyer could continue to emit some greenhouse gases. It could be a form of offsetting emissions.

That was nine years in the making," one journalist said to me as it was passed. Nations have not managed to agree on this issue since the Paris Agreement was passed in 2015.

Lots of delegates clapped after it was gavelled.

The deal means they've agreed on some rules for this process.

"The presidency needs at least something to show for themselves here," commented someone next to me.

Georgina Rannard
Climate reporter in Baku

We've been talking about "quorum" - which to you and me is the number of countries that must be here for a decision to be made. It's two-thirds of those that signed the UN climate convention.

Countries themselves can call for a quorum count, which has never happened in these climate summits before.

But one expert in these talks just texted me to say it could be used as a tactic by countries that don't want these talks to be a success.

"I worry that with the Cali precedent some of the spoilers may think of this and ask for one," Dr Joanna Depledge, an expert on climate negotiations from Cambridge University tells me.

By Cali precedent, she is talking about the biodiversity talks that collapsed last month in Colombia.

The UN's climate body, UNFCCC, can help some less wealthy countries pay the extra costs of staying longer, but "if COP goes on to later on Sunday that will become a problem", she says.

Mark Poynting
Climate and environment researcher

As we’ve been hearing, the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), which represents small, low-lying island nations, have walked out of the talks.

They’ve been one of the most vocal groups in calling for faster climate action, because these nations really are on the frontline of global warming.

Rising seas pose an existential threat to countries such as the Maldives, where around 80% of land is less than 1m above sea-level.

A study published in 2018 showed that many low-lying atoll islands could become uninhabitable by around the middle of this century due to regular coastal flooding.

Small islands, including those in the Caribbean, are also disproportionately affected by other climate hazards, such as tropical storms.

AOSIS members have made tiny contributions to climate change, and generally don’t have the resources to adapt to rising temperatures.

That explains why they are so angry at the deal put on the table last night, which they say “shows such contempt for our vulnerable people”.

Mark Poynting
Climate and environment researcher

As we mentioned in our last post, two-thirds of countries signed up to the UN climate convention need to be present for decisions to be made.

This is known as the “quorum”.

It has become a particularly pressing issue now that the group of small island nations known as AOSIS has walked out of the talks in protest.

And some countries will have to go home soon.

These conferences often come at great financial cost to poorer nations, so some may be unable to change their flights.

Remember the conference was meant to finish yesterday.

So eventually there’ll come a point where there aren’t enough countries left to reach a deal.

That is why time is running out.

Georgina Rannard
Climate reporter in Baku

We’ve now got sight of the agenda items for this plenary - it doesn’t include the draft agreement about cash or the Article 6 text that I just mentioned.

The other items are largely procedural UN issues that have to be gavelled at these meetings. It doesn’t look like this meeting will get the talks any closer to a deal.

But it could tell us which countries are still in Baku - two-thirds of countries who signed the UN climate convention must be here to pass a deal.

Once the meetings no longer has the required number, it is over.

Image source, COP29 AZE

We're hearing now from Marina Silva, Brazil's environment minister, who is addressing the meeting with the hosts at COP29.

She acknowledges that Brazil will be hosting the next COP, COP30, thanking Azerbaijan for their hospitality this year. Although, this is not an official handover.

Looking forward to the next climate summit, she says it is "fundamental" that we have an alignment within our countries on how best to move forward.

The sense of urgency and willingness to collaborate with each other is another alignment, the environment minister adds.

Georgina Rannard
Climate reporter in Baku

Image source, Reuters

The COP29 president Mukhtar Babayev has urged the nations that are inside the plenary hall to "bridge the remaining divide" between countries.

"The eyes of the world are focused on us, however time is not on our side and I ask you to now step up your engagement with one another," he said.

Georgina Rannard
Climate reporter in Baku

A plenary has started - that's normally the final meeting where a deal is agreed.

But it would be extremely surprising if this was the final meeting, considering some nations have walked out and there is no agreement.

Instead this meeting is more likely to be about something called Article 6 - which is about carbon markets - but even that is controversial.

It's a risky strategy from the COP presidency.

Georgina Rannard
Climate reporter in Baku

This video I filmed on my phone gives you a sense of just how chaotic things are here now.

Adonia Ayebare, the chair of the G77+China group of developing nations had just left negotiations, pursued by a gaggle of journalists.

At one point he trips over, as his shoe comes off. At the end you can hear me trying my luck: “Sir will you be coming back to the talks?”

Nice try but he’s far too busy and keen to stay tight-lipped, for even a “no comment”.

Georgina Rannard
Climate reporter in Baku

I'm writing these posts in a back corridor in the maze-like COP venue, using a water fountain as a desk, as we await to hear from this year's hosts, Azerbaijan.

I was waiting to see if I could catch them to ask if these talks are over for good. But no luck.

Earlier my colleague Esme Stallard was sitting on the floor by the meeting rooms, surrounded by TV cameras and journalists.

It's chaotic for the diplomats here - but also for journalists, as we race around trying to find the latest updates.

Mark Poynting
Climate and environment researcher

The terms “developed” and “developing” crop up a lot in talks around climate cash – but what do they actually mean?

Essentially, “developed” means richer, industrialised countries, such as the UK and the US, and “developing” means poorer nations or emerging economies.

These classifications largely go back to the original UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in 1992.

They are important because they dictate which countries are obliged to contribute to climate finance.

There are currently 23 “developed” countries that have to contribute.

But many developed countries want to see this group expanded, arguing that the global landscape has shifted a lot since 1992.

China and the Gulf states, for example, are still classed as developing nations despite their increasing contributions to global warming.

Georgina Rannard and Esme Stallard
Climate reporters in Baku

This row is all about a new draft proposal. It’s not yet been published online but we’ve managed to get our hands on a copy.

The text is about how much money poor nations would get from richer ones to deal with climate change.

These are the changes, compared to the last draft text:

• It’s an increase of money, from $250bn to $300bn. But we know poor countries want closer to $500bn
• The text "encourages" developing nations to also give money - under the Paris Agreement 2015 only the richer nations should be giving money. We had already been told this is a major red line for many developing nations
• But developing nations may like that there is a commitment in there to triple the amount of money going specifically to protecting people from climate change. Historically most of the money has gone to just reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

What would it take for developing countries to accept this draft deal? Could increasing the amount of cash to $500bn be enough?

Esme Stallard
Climate reporter in Baku

Image source, Reuters

As we've said quite a few times now, it is manic here and I am conscious we have been throwing acronyms at you left, right and centre.

So a quick rundown of how these talks work.

All of the world's nations are present and are negotiating for the best outcome for their populations.

But power is in numbers.

So many countries get together and agree a common stance on something, and negotiate as a group.

And there are many different groups.

The European Union is one of them, but the largest and perhaps most powerful group here is one called the G77+China.

This the group of the world's developing nations, and it's now much bigger than 77 countries - but that's how many were in the group when it first started.

Another one is AOSIS - that's the group of small island countries.

They negotiate together as they have a common shared experience of being at the forefront of climate change particularly rising sea level.

Image source, Reuters

The head of an influential group representing poorer countries says climate talks are continuing.

"Still locked in intense consultations," writes Evans Njewa, chair of the Least Developed Countries group, who is from Malawi.

On social media platform X he writes:

Image source, Reuters

“We’re doing our utmost to build bridges with literally everyone," EU Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra has said.

"It is not easy, neither on finance nor on mitigation. It is also a fair ask to stay constructive," he says.

This seems like a coded plea to those nations that we heard earlier were threatening to pull out to keep talking.

And it may be working.

We have heard from another delegate here that the EU is currently meeting with the COP president, the island states and the world's poorest nations - the Least Developed Countries group.

Georgina Rannard
Climate reporter in Baku

How serious is the collapse of these talks?

The sense here is that this is as bad as COP15 in Copenhagen, when talks famously ended without agreement.

That is as bad as it gets.

"The only time I can remember it happening was when the Africa Group did the same in Warsaw in 2013," Paoli says.

But she says the group did return to the talks, leading to a breakthrough.

"So walkouts have proven successful in the past," she adds.

Georgina Rannard
Climate reporter in Baku

Hundreds of people remain inside these wide, glaringly-bright halls.

Behind closed doors are the countries who have not walked out. Plus civil society observers who are allowed to watch UN meetings.

Every time someone walks out, a crowd of journalists with cameras chase after them.

Along with many others, I just ran at speed after a man in a suit flanked by security officers and press, thinking they might say something useful.

But it turns out it was someone from an NGO group, on his way to the toilet.

Climate talks take dramatic turn in Bakupublished at 14:45 Greenwich Mean Time 23 November

14:45 GMT 23 November

Matt McGrath
Environment correspondent in Baku

Image source, Reuters

“Shame” shouted some climate campaigners, “pay up!” shouted others.

The object of their venom was John Podesta, who is the US climate envoy, and was being escorted from a meeting room in chaotic scenes here in Baku.

COP29 has taken a dramatic turn here this afternoon, with walkouts from developing countries from meetings with the Azerbaijani presidency over climate finance.

There was palpable anger among the least developed countries and island states that they were being messed around by richer nations.

They say that the financial offer being negotiated is insulting, they feel excluded and ignored.

In this atmosphere, campaigners turned on Podesta shouting that the US had sold out, and hadn’t paid their fair share.

Podesta seemed unperturbed, telling my colleague Justin Rowlatt that he hoped “this was the storm before the calm”.

Georgina Rannard
Climate reporter at COP29 in Baku

In the middle of the chaos, I grabbed a veteran climate talks observer - Mohamed Adow, of Power Shift Africa.

I asked him why the least developed nations and AOSIS walked out?

He said it's because the latest draft deal is even weaker than past versions.

Adow says it no longer specifically requires rich nations to contribute to cash for tackling climate change. Instead, it says the money could come from any country.

"It’s a great escape effectively," he says.

Developing countries think this is the richer world running away from its responsibilities.

He accuses the US of being behind this.

"This is largely as a result of the fear of the incoming Donald Trump administration," he says.

Esme Stallard
Climate reporter in Baku

Colombia's Environment Minister Susana Muhamad kept her cards close to her chest when I asked how she was feeling after the news that other developing countries might pull out.

Earlier this year Colombia hosted the UN biodiversity summit - very similar to COP but all about protecting the world's animals and plants.

So Muhamad is very experienced at handling tricky negotiations.

Clearly some of the countries here are trying to keep things calm, as all around me the world's press sprint from meeting room to meeting room in the hope of making sense of what is going on.