Cop29: ministers told to ‘cut theatrics’, ‘move faster’ and ‘get down to business’ amid growing frustration at slow progress – as it happened

Cop29 president calls for faster action as progress to agree a climate finance deal slows

It’s bedtime in Baku, after a somewhat frustrating day of Cop29 climate talks, so in London it’s time to close the Cop29 liveblog, I’m afraid.

But before I go, here are the main lines from today’s non-action at the summit.

• “Cut the theatrics,” UN climate chief Simon Steele told country representatives in Baku, after talks over the key issue of climate finance stalled, with developing countries insisting they need over $1tn a year and richer nations balking at the cost.

• There was a lot of frustration at Cop29, with progress on a climate finance agreement very slow. Shirley Matheson, WWF global NDC enhancement lead, said: “There’s a lot of frustration in the room. There’s a lot of anxiety. There’s a need for parties to really get together and work through this.

• One of Europe’s top human rights officials accused Cop29 host country Azerbaijan of jailing activists and journalists for their work and opposition to the authorities. Michael O’Flaherty, the Council of Europe commissioner for human rights, called for Azerbaijan to immediately release them.

• Australian climate change and energy minister Chris Bowen said reaching an agreement before the week is out was proving difficult. Bowen said the finance goal needed to cover what he called “the big three” issues: the quantum, the contributor base and the structure of a funding agreement.

• The internationally agreed goal to keep the world’s temperature rise below 1.5C is now “deader than a doornail”, climate scientists have said. Three of the five leading research groups monitoring global temperatures consider 2024 on track to be at least 1.5C (2.7F) hotter than pre-industrial times.

• But senior US officials insisted the world can still meet the 1.5C target, but not without ambitious climate action from China. In recent days, the US and China have reaffirmed joint commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions other than CO2, a rare example of collaboration between the rivals.

• Meanwhile, the UK and the US signed a new agreement for civil nuclear collaboration on the sidelines of Cop negotiations. The agreement aims to pool billions in research funds to speed up the development of new technologies such as advanced modular reactors.

That’s about it. I’ll be back with you early doors tomorrow morning to kick the live blog off for another day of climate negotiations coverage.

Cover photo: Members of Greenpeace International display personal items and symbolic objects impacted by extreme weather and the climate crisis. Photograph: Murad Sezer/Reuters