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Nearly 200 global leaders are meeting to turn down the world’s thermostat.

The U.N. Climate Summit (COP29) kicked off Monday in Azerbaijan to tackle rising temps and emissions. This year’s summit, dubbed “the Finance COP,” focuses on setting funding goals for climate action in developing nations. The U.N. climate chief warned that achieving goals is “near impossible” without more cash.

While 2023 hit record greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, major emitters––including China (~27%), the U.S. (~14%), and the E.U.(~8%)––have cut emissions. Still, climate advocates want bigger cuts and criticize the U.S. for its recent record oil production, a trend expected to continue under President-elect Trump, who has promised to re-exit the Paris Climate Agreement.

President Biden sent a U.S. delegation but is not attending himself. The summit will continue through November 22.

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CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE
Though we may not all agree on the best way to balance the health of the earth and the needs of humanity, we can pray for wisdom as we seek to be thoughtful stewards of God’s good creation. 

“Then the Lord God formed the man out of the dust from the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being.… [He] took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden to work it and watch over it.”
Genesis 2:7, 15 (CSB) (read full passage)