COP29, being held in Baku, Azerbaijan, from Nov 11 to 22, has opened under ominous circumstances. The re-election of Trump as US president looms over the event, reviving memories of his first term when he withdrew from the Paris Agreement, halted climate funding, and significantly slowed international climate progress.

During those years, US largely stood on the sidelines, often obstructing negotiations through proxies. Aside from partial progress at COP24 in Katowice in 2018 – where the “rulebook” for implementing the Paris Agreement was advanced – Trump’s presidency was largely a setback for climate action.