With flash floods in Spain, droughts in California, Asia, and Africa, back-to-back devastating hurricanes in Florida, and record high temperatures, the Climate Change Conference, COP29, opened today in Baku, Azerbaijan to address some of those issues and many others.

The conference is being held following the election of President Donald Trump who does not believe in or is skeptical about climate change.

Nearly 200 countries are gathering for a major international summit to address the threat of climate change, confronting a new era of uncertainty for the United States’ climate commitments in the wake of Trump’s election victory.

Trump has said that in a second term, he would again exit the Paris Climate Agreement signed in 2016 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and limit global warming to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. 

The U. S. climate envoy John Podesta said the fight “for a cleaner, safer” planet will not stop under a re-elected Donald Trump even if some progress is reversed.

The U.S. formally withdrew during Trump’s first term but rejoined under President Biden.

Climate change refers to long-term endangering shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. 

Such shifts can be natural, due to changes in the sun’s activity or large volcanic eruptions. Since the 1800s, human activities have been the main driver of climate change, primarily due to the burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas.

Burning fossil fuels generates greenhouse gas emissions that create a blanket wrapped around the Earth, trapping the sun’s heat and raising temperatures.

The main greenhouse gases causing climate change are carbon dioxide and methane.

These come from using gasoline for cars or coal for heating a building. Clearing land and cutting down forests can also release carbon dioxide. 

Agriculture, oil, and gas operations are major sources of methane emissions. Energy, industry, transport, buildings, agriculture, and land use are among the main sectors causing greenhouse gases.

The conference ends on November 22.