How much could a new climate finance goal amount to? How many delegates will attend the summit this year? Eco-Business explores which numbers matter at the world’s biggest climate conference that will kick off in Azerbaijan this week.
With key developments taking shape in the global carbon credit trade just a few weeks from COP29, experts say consensus will be crucial to helping Asian nations achieve their national determined contributions.
Article 6 of the Paris Agreement leaves a lot of flexibility for countries to trade carbon credits but a standardised playbook is needed to guide how countries can meet their climate goals while selling carbon offsets, says a city-state official, adding that bilateral deals become "flimsy" otherwise. The republic has struggled to buy eligible credits from its two partner nations.
As Asian firms scale up disclosures, the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB)'s guidance – effective from December 2026 – could help curb greenwash if backed by strong regulatory frameworks, say industry players.
There are growing calls for more corporate disclosure, but if firms release sustainability reports just to meet the needs of external stakeholders, including regulators, it is unlikely to motivate internal changes to business operations.
Oleh
Douglas Stuart and Irene Marie Herremans
House Bill 7705, the low carbon economy bill, could help the climate-vulnerable nation seize the economic opportunities that come with decarbonisation.
Oleh
Ping Manongdo
As the only multilateral institution charged with maintaining global financial and fiscal stability, the IMF’s role is critical for addressing climate change.
Oleh
Mohamed Nasheed dan
Rakesh Mohan
The pop superstar claims she can offset the immense carbon footprint of her private jet but the only way for the superrich to reduce their climate impact is to fly less and choose more sustainable forms of transport.
Oleh
Benja Faecks dan
Eleanor Scott
Studio EB
About four out of every five people impacted by sea-level rise by 2050 will live in East or Southeast Asia, creating an urgent need climate-smart solutions for cities. This year’s Innovate4Climate summit will look at the climate-smart solutions the region needs.
The IPCC's climate warning is an opportunity for the business world to show leadership, said UNDP's Achim Steiner in the opening speech at the Responsible Business Forum in Singapore.
China has provided huge funding supposedly to help developing countries mitigate and adapt to climate impacts, but it is also financing coal projects included in the Belt & Road Initiative (BRI). What do recipient countries make of this?
It has been said that the fight against climate change will be won in cities. In this video by C40, mayors of the world’s mega cities share what they are doing to address the most pressing climate threats.
The climate non-profit's head Sherry Madera insists there are just 450 questions, not over 5,500 as some industry players have cited, in its new questionnaire, which has faced pushback for failing to ease disclosure burden as intended.
David Antonioli says current rules spur piecemeal offsetting instead of enabling faster growth of climate ventures. He expects pushback to his ideas in a market polarised over integrity issues, but wants players to think big-picture.
A recent study found that 9 in 10 accountants want companies to be more sustainable after the pandemic. Eco-Business asked Association of Chartered Certified Accountants sustainability head Jimmy Greer about reinventing capitalism and making the numbers of net zero commitments add up.
Studio EB
The once abundant peat forests of Indonesia's Kampar peninsula have been deforested to half its size over the last two decades. Is there hope in saving the country's largest remaining forest reserve?