International efforts to limit global warming are beginning to
show measurable results, with projections for temperature rise now
below 3°C—down from pre-Paris Agreement estimates of 4°C, according
to climate experts. These improvements are attributed to global
climate agreements and concrete actions taken by countries around
the world.
Speaking at a high-level session titled “Glacier Forecasts and
Emissions: How Much Can 1.5°C Scenarios Protect?” during the first
International Conference on Glacier Preservation in Dushanbe,
Tajikistan, Mukhtar Babayev, President of COP29 and Special
Representative of the President of Azerbaijan for Climate Issues,
highlighted the progress made since COP29 in Baku,
Azernews reports.
“There were initial doubts about the outcomes of COP29, but in
the end, we achieved significant milestones,” Babayev said. “New
rules were adopted for high-integrity carbon markets, and the Loss
and Damage Fund was officially launched.”
He also announced a groundbreaking financial commitment under
the UN framework—the Baku Climate Finance Pledge, which aims to
mobilize at least $300 billion annually in climate finance by 2035.
Experts believe this could catalyze trillions in global climate
investment.
Babayev emphasized that limiting global warming to 1.5°C above
pre-industrial levels remains the central goal of the Paris
Agreement, particularly critical for small island developing
states. However, he warned that the last decade has been the
warmest on record, and 2024 already marked the first year
surpassing the 1.5°C threshold.
“We’re already feeling the impacts in Azerbaijan,” he noted.
“Glaciers have shrunk by around 20% in just seven years and could
disappear entirely by 2050. Our rivers are drying, reducing water
availability for people and agriculture—posing a serious threat to
health and economic growth.”
Babayev called for stronger regional cooperation on emission
reductions and climate adaptation. He welcomed proposals for
creating regional training centers as partnership platforms,
particularly for monitoring shared glaciers and predicting their
response to climate change.
He concluded by stressing that it is technically possible to
bring global temperatures back below 1.5°C in the long term—but
only if short-lived but potent pollutants are aggressively curbed
and carbon is actively removed from the atmosphere.