"I had hoped for a more ambitious outcome -- on both finance and mitigation -- to meet the great challenge we face," Guterres said in a statement, adding that he is appealing "to governments to see this agreement as a foundation -- and build on it."
After two exhaustive weeks of negotiations, the final deal commits developed nations to pay at least $300 billion a year by 2035 to help developing countries green their economies and prepare for worse disasters.
That is up from $100 billion now provided by wealthy countries under a commitment set to expire -- and from the $250 billion proposed in an earlier draft Friday.
The deal "must be honoured in full and on time," Guterres said.
"Commitments must quickly become cash. All countries must come together to ensure the top-end of this new goal is met."
The UN chief said that "an agreement at COP29 was absolutely essential to keep the 1.5 degree limit alive."
"And countries have delivered."
He called on countries to deliver new economy-wide climate action plans "well ahead of COP30 -- as promised."
"The end of the fossil fuel age is an economic inevitability. New national plans must accelerate the shift, and help to ensure it comes with justice," he said, closing with a message to activists pushing for more to "keep it up."
"The United Nations is with you. Our fight continues. And we will never give up," Guterres said.
UK says COP29 deal 'not everything' wanted but 'step forward'
London (AFP) Nov 23, 2024 -
UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband welcomed late Saturday a deal reached between nearly 200 nations at the COP29 summit in Azerbaijan as "a critical eleventh hour deal at the eleventh hour for the climate".
"It is not everything we or others wanted but is a step forward for us all," Miliband said in a statement released shortly after the deal was announced.
He added the pledge to provide $300 billion a year in finance by 2035 to the developing world "rightly reflects the importance of going beyond traditional donors like Britain, and the role of countries like China in helping those on the frontline of this crisis".
"If this finance is used in the right way, it could cut the equivalent emissions of one billion cars and could protect nearly a billion people from the impacts of climate change," he said.
Miliband -- a former leader of Britain's ruling Labour party, which returned to power in July -- argued the overall deal "sends the signal that the clean energy transition is unstoppable".
He insisted it "will drive forward the clean energy transition which is essential for jobs and growth in Britain and for protecting us all against the worsening climate crisis".
"It is the biggest economic opportunity of the 21st century and through our championing of it we can help crowd in private investment," the UK's energy secretary added.
Miliband conceded there was "much more work to do" if the world was to "prevent climate catastrophe" but that the UK had "pushed for ambition in Baku".
"We will keep up the pace, working with other countries before the world meets again in Brazil for COP30," he said.
"Only by doing this can we keep future generations safe and reap the benefits of the clean energy revolution."
No climate deal better than 'bad' one, say NGOs at COP29
Baku (AFP) Nov 23, 2024 -
More than 300 activist groups on Saturday jointly urged developing nations to walk away from deadlocked COP29 climate negotiations if wealthy countries do not make a better offer.
"We urge you to stand up for the people of the Global South and we insist: no deal in Baku is better than a bad deal, and this is a very, very bad deal because of the intransigence of developed countries," said the letter addressed to the G77 bloc of developing nations and China.
The talks in Baku, which were scheduled to conclude after 12 days on Friday, extended through the night into Saturday as poor nations rejected a draft proposal in which the developed world would provide $250 billion a year to countries worst hit by climate change.
The proposal notes a target of $1.3 trillion per year to cope with rising temperatures and disasters, but most would come from private sources as wealthy nations say it is not politically realistic to tap further into government coffers.
In an accompanying letter, the non-governmental organisations accused the United States, European Union, Britain and other developed nations of seeking to use the deal as proposed to make a "complete exit from any legal obligations to provide climate finance for developing countries".
"You claim to champion a rules-based system, yet flout the rules when they don't suit your interests, putting at risk billions of people and life on Earth," they wrote.
Signatories included representatives of ActionAid, Amnesty International, CAN International, Christian Aid and 350.org.
The talks at a stadium in the Azerbaijani capital have focused on finding a new climate finance goal, with the $100 billion a year provided by wealthy nations under a previous commitment set to expire.
The talks are taking place on what is poised to be the hottest year on record, with rising droughts, fires and storms taking a deadly toll, but also against the backdrop of a political resurgence of right-wing critics of the green agenda, including the victory of Donald Trump in the US presidential election.
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