The recently concluded COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, has once again highlighted the stark divide between ambition and action in the global fight against climate change. While the summit achieved a funding package of $300 billion annually for vulnerable nations by 2035, the overarching sentiment among attendees-especially those from poorer nations-was one of disappointment. The deal was seen as insufficient in addressing the escalating climate crisis, a crisis that has grown more urgent with every passing year.

The evidence of a warming planet is no longer confined to scientific reports or remote regions. The past year alone has brought devastating floods in Spain, wildfires in Canada, and record-breaking heatwaves across continents. Experts now warn that 2024 is likely to surpass the 1.5°C warming limit set by the Paris Agreement, signaling the potential breach of irreversible tipping points. These include the transformation of the Amazon rainforest into savanna and the accelerated melting of polar ice caps, events that could fundamentally alter Earth’s climate systems.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres characterized the current state as a “masterclass in climate destruction.” His warning underscores the reality that climate change is no longer a distant threat; it is an ongoing disaster exacerbating existing vulnerabilities and creating new ones. Rising sea levels, unpredictable weather patterns, and declining agricultural yields are driving food insecurity and mass migrations, destabilizing regions and stretching the capacities of even developed nations.

Despite the clear and present dangers, protecting the planet appears to have slipped down the priority list for many world leaders. In Western countries, climate policy has increasingly become a political battleground. Right-wing populists have weaponized environmental issues to stoke fears, claiming that green policies will harm national economies and individual........

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