COP29: Your Guide to the 2024 UN Climate Conference

From November 11-22, representatives from nearly 200 countries will come together to coordinate global climate action for the next year—an event referred to as COP29.

If you’ve never heard of COP29, or if you need a refresher, this guide will tell you what to expect from the event, what policies TNC is advocating for, and what this all means for you.

This page reflects the ever-changing nature of climate negotiations. Check back regularly for updates.

COP29 stands for the 29th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. In this guide we’ll call it COP; you might also hear this referred to as the UN climate change convention.

At the annual climate COP, delegates from nearly every country on Earth negotiate global goals for tackling climate change, present their individual countries’ plans for contributing to those goals, and report on their progress.

The world is already grappling with the severe impacts of a warming planet: record-breaking wildfires, catastrophic floods, and relentless heat waves. Worse yet, the first-ever Global Stocktake—a climate progress report—revealed just how far we’ve fallen behind our goals. We need urgent, transformative action and COP29 is our opportunity to step up and meet the moment.

The climate COP meets in a different city every year to demonstrate the importance of collaboration from nations across the globe. This year’s meeting will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan, November 11 to 22. While the overall goal of all these meetings is increasing global cooperation to fight climate change, the specific topics can vary each year.

Similar to last year, the host country sets the tone and initial direction of discussion. 

As countries work to update and align their climate plans, TNC staff will be at the forefront of COP29 negotiations with government and business leaders.

We are advocating for a swifter transition to renewable energy sources, greater use of natural climate solutions, and more investment from both the public and private sectors, especially to help those countries that have been most affected by the impacts of climate change.

We're also working to ensure there is increased inclusivity and equity in climate policy processes since the leadership of marginalized groups, like Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs), are essential to protecting cultural and biological diversity.

TNC’s three core priorities for COP29

As a global society, we must: 

1. Phase out fossil fuels. We must accelerate the equitable phase-out of fossil fuels to achieve net zero by 2050 or sooner and transition to renewable energy.
2. Build climate-resilient societies. We must empower groups who steward nature to secure their homes, livelihoods and futures.
3. Invest in financial flows towards climate. We must inspire commitments and investments in nature-positive projects, policies and practices.

And that’s not all. We’ll be tracking specific policy actions as the negotiations progress and grading how the world performs according to our COP29 Scorecard.

Download the short version of TNC's COP29 Scorecard.

Download the full version of TNC's COP29 Scorecard.

Every action matters. Every ounce of carbon, every fraction of a degree, every day matters. Our leaders’ climate actions matter and your climate actions matter too.

Check out a sample Global Insights Newsletter here. 

Want to learn more about some of the issues at COP29? In this last section of the guide, we’ve curated articles and videos on the most important issues at this year's climate conference.

Food & Climate

Climate Adaptation

Indigenous and Local Community Leadership
  

Explore the Emerald Edge in 360°

Watch 360° Video (mobile)

Nature-Based Solutions

Clean Energy

Financing Climate Action