United Nations annual climate talks stuttered to a start Monday with more than nine hours of backroom bickering over what should be on the agenda for the next two weeks. It then turned to the main issue: money.

In Baku, Azerbaijan, where the world’s first oil well was drilled and the smell of the fuel was noticeable outdoors, the talks were more about the smell of money — in huge amounts. Countries are negotiating how rich nations can pay up so poor countries can reduce carbon pollution by transitioning away from fossil fuels and toward clean energy, compensate for climate disasters and adapt to future extreme weather.

In order to try to start the 12 days of talks, called COP29, with a win, Monday’s session seemed to find a resolution to a nagging financial issue about trading carbon pollution rights — one that has eluded negotiators for years. It could free up to $250 billion in spending a year to help poor nations, said new COP29 president, Mukhtar Babayev.

But Erika Lennon, Center for International Environmental Law’s Senior Attorney, warned that pushing through resolutions this early in the conference “without discussion or debate, sets a dangerous precedent for the entire negotiation process.”

When it comes to discussions on finance, the amount of money being talked about to help poor nations could be as high as $1.3 trillion a year. That’s the need in the developing world, according to African nations, which have produced 7% of the heat-trapping gases in the air but have faced multiple climate crises, from floods to drought.

Whatever amount the nations come up with would replace an old agreement that had a goal of $100 billion a year. Richer nations have wanted numbers closer to that figure. If an agreement is struck, money is likely to come from a variety of sources including grants, loans and private finance.

“These numbers may sound big but they are nothing compared to the cost of inaction,” Babayev, said as he took over.

Signs of climate disasters abound

This year, the world is on pace for 1.5 degrees of warming and is heading to become the hottest year in human civilization.

A goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) since pre-industrial times was set in the Paris Agreement in 2015. But that’s about two or three decades, not one year of that amount of warming and “it is not possible, simply not possible,” to abandon the 1.5 goal yet, said World Meteorological Organization Secretary-General Celeste Saulo.

The effects of climate change in disasters such as hurricanes, droughts and floods are already here and hurting, Babayev said.

“We are on the road to ruin,” he said. “Whether you see them or not, people are suffering in the shadows. They are dying in the dark. And they need more than compassion. More than prayers and paperwork. They are crying out for leadership and action.”

United Nations Climate Secretary Simon Stiell, whose home island of Carriacou was devasted earlier this year by Hurricane Beryl, used the story of his neighbor, an 85-year-old named Florence, to help find “a way out of this mess.”

Her home was demolished and Florence focused one thing: “Being strong for her family and for her community. There are people like Florence in every country on Earth. Knocked down, and getting back up again.”

That’s what the world must do with climate change, Stiell said.

A backdrop of war and upheaval hangs over talks

In the past year, nation after nation has seen political upheaval, with the latest being in the United States — the largest historic carbon emitter — and Germany, a climate leading nation.

The election of Donald Trump, who disputes climate change and its impact, and the collapse of the German governing coalition are altering climate negotiation dynamics here, experts said.

“The global north needs to be cutting emissions even faster … but instead we’ve got Trump, we’ve got a German government that just fell apart because part of it wanted to be even slightly ambitious (on climate action),” said Imperial College London climate scientist Friederike Otto. “We are very far off.”

Initially, Azerbaijan organizers hoped to have nations across the globe stop fighting during the negotiations. That didn’t happen as wars in Ukraine, Gaza and elsewhere continued.

Dozens of climate activists at the conference — many of them wearing Palestinian kaffiyehs — held up banners calling for climate justice and for nations to “stop fueling genocide.”

“It’s the same systems of oppression and discrimination that are putting people on the frontlines of climate change and putting people on the front lines of conflict in Palestine,” said Lise Masson, a protester from Friends of the Earth International. She slammed the United States, the U.K. and the EU for not spending more on climate finance while also supplying arms to Israel.

Mohammed Ursof, a climate activist from Gaza, called for the world to “get power back to the Indigenous, power back to the people.”

Jacob Johns, a Hopi and Akimel O’odham community organizer, came to the conference with hope for a better world.

“Within sight of the destruction lies the seed of creation,” he said at a panel about Indigenous people’s hopes for climate action. “We have to realize that we are not citizens of one nation, we are the Earth.”

Hopes for a strong financial outcome

The financial package being hashed out at this year’s talks is important because every nation has until early next year to submit new — and presumably stronger — targets for curbing emissions of heat-trapping gases from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas.

How much money is on the table could inform how ambitious some nations can be with their climate plans.

Some Pacific climate researchers said that the amount of money on offer was not the biggest problem for small island nations, which are some of the world’s most imperiled by rising seas.

“There might be funding out there, but to get access to this funding for us here in the Pacific is quite an impediment,” said Hilda Sakiti-Waqa, from the University of the South Pacific in Fiji. “The Pacific really needs a lot of technical help in order to put together these applications.”

And despite the stalled start, there was still a sense of optimism.

“My experience right now is that countries are really here to negotiate,” said German climate envoy Jennifer Morgan.

“We cannot leave Baku without a substantial outcome,” Stiell said. “Now is the time to show that global cooperation is not down for the count. It is rising to the moment.”

—Seth Borenstein, Melina Walling and Sibi Arasu, Associated Press

Charlotte Graham-McLay, AP reporter, contributed to this report.

The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

“Without inner change there can be no outer change, without collective change, no change matters.” -angel Kyodo williams

Technology's Rapid Advancements are Changing Perceptions of the Healthcare System  PR Newswire

The game will also restrict under-13s from being able to play, search or discover games with unrated experiences.

Read more: Roblox bans social hangouts, free-form creation for under-13s

The 2019 Residential Contractor of the Year shares how his company converted from a retail roofing outfit in a storm market, to a full-service storm response company in the wake of Hurricane Irma.

Google has changed how its search engine operates. Are you prepared for the impact on your roofing business?

Snyder, a roofing and waterproofing company based in Tigard, Ore., has transitioned ownership to CEO Josh Mullen in a succession plan ensuring its future in the Pacific Northwest.

The August producer price index report showed stable construction materials prices, with slight declines in wood and steel products, while power wire and cable prices surged, but overall, construction materials prices have been relatively steady in 2023.

John DeRosa, director of contractor training at SRS Distribution, shows the value in optimizing sales leads versus determining if a lead is “qualified” or “unqualified.”

Cotney Construction Law CEO breaks down what roofing contractors need to know about using subcontractors heading into 2021.

Are you using AI to analyze project details, schedule tasks and customize safety alerts for specific roofing jobsites?

Tras vencer por 7-6 (4) y 6-3, Sinner logra alzarse con este trofeo por primera vez y suma el séptimo título de la temporada para alcanzar un total de 17 desde que se convirtió en profesional Leer

El número uno del mundo asegura que no buscaba el premio en Riad y recibe críticas del circuito ATP Leer

Digital reporter Heba Kanso tells us about a new feature section on CBSNews.com that showcases the stories of women who combined their entrepreneurial spirit with a vision to make something work in a distinctly new way.

The Army will keep most software development efforts in ongoing development mode and not transition them to sustainment as part of its modernization efforts.

The post Army changing the color of money used to modernize software first appeared on Federal News Network.

Secret Service is like a Navy ship that's run aground. The commander may not have had his or her hand on the wheel, but that's where responsibility rests.

The post Secret Service Director Cheatle likely can’t hang on first appeared on Federal News Network.

Former IRS CIO Nancy Sieger, who will retire on June 1 after more than 40 years in government, said she found success during the pandemic by managing its risks.

The post How the pandemic changed IRS technology for good first appeared on Federal News Network.

From 15 to 18 February 2023, Automechanika Shanghai will delve into automotive transformation.

U.S. Treasurer Jovita Carranza joined Women of Washington to talk about resilience, building a strong community of supporters and expanding your comfort zone.

The post US treasurer an agent for change first appeared on Federal News Network.

The concept of a single network from soldiers' home stations to the tactical edge isn't new, but Army leaders say cultural changes are finally making it happen.

The post Army makes more IT organization changes in pursuit of unified network first appeared on Federal News Network.

Automechanika Shanghai will celebrate two decades of serving the automotive service industry. The show’s influence reaches all corners of China and extends out to the global market, making it a must-attend event for information exchange, marketing, trade and education.

Kelly Fletcher, the State Department’s CIO, said the newly named Bureau of Diplomatic Technology is aligning cybersecurity and customer experience.

The post State Department making sure change is more than just a name first appeared on Federal News Network.

Change Healthcare is starting to notify hospitals, insurers and other customers that they may have had patient information exposed in a massive cyberattack. The company also said Thursday that it expects to begin notifying individuals or patients in late July. Change Healthcare is a subsidiary of health care giant UnitedHealth Group. It provides technology used to submit and process billions of insurance claims a year. Hackers gained access in February to its system and unleashed a ransomware attack that encrypted and froze large parts of it.

The post Change Healthcare to start notifying customers who had data exposed in cyberattack first appeared on Federal News Network.

Former Sen. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma has died. He was 89. The family says in a statement that the Republican had a stroke during the July Fourth holiday.

The post Former US Sen. Jim Inhofe, defense hawk who called human-caused climate change a ‘hoax,’ dies at 89 first appeared on Federal News Network.

Our new ebook includes key pointers and lessons learned shared by more than two dozen federal and industry cyber leaders during our Zero Trust Cyber Exchange. Download it now.

The post Tips and Tactics from Zero Trust Cyber Exchange first appeared on Federal News Network.

In our new Federal News Network Insider’s Guide, we share details for federal users about what the Salesforce AppExchange is, how it works and why it provides value to agencies by extending their investment in Salesforce.

The post Salesforce AppExchange first appeared on Federal News Network.

Robin Carnahan, the administrator of GSA, explains why the agency’s mission has remained the same over the last 75 years, but how it goes about has changed.

The post GSA: 75 years of adapting to the changing needs of agencies first appeared on Federal News Network.

Facebook profits off hate and that's why it won't change, says whistleblower Frances Haugen

More than two thirds of digital transformation efforts are stalled. So why not try easier, asks Avaya's Jay Patel in this guest blog.

Google called the DOJ extending search remedies to AI "radical," an "overreach."

Workers vow to restore Boeing's iconic legacy as costly strike ends.

Lawsuit seeks "at least $1.76 billion that was fraudulently transferred" by SBF.

The molecular biologist describes how genetically engineered corn and wheat could become powerful tools for de-carbonizing the planet.

The Eastern U.S. started summer 2024 under a record-breaking heat dome, leaving many outdoor workers struggling with the heat.

"Hurricane Helene caused deadly and destructive flooding when it swept through the Southeast on Sept. 26-29, 2024."

Linguists explore how climate may shape language, revealing links between weather conditions and vocal sounds.

Just like YouTube Shorts, a swipe down could soon play the next long-form video.

A study of 14 million research papers reveals a sudden and dramatic change that occurred soon after ChatGPT appeared.

CubeSats make it affordable for universities and private companies to launch a satellite into space.

Location: Main Library- PK6393.S87F35 2015

Location: Main Library- DS274.T33 2015

Location: Main Library- DS353.A945 2015

Location: Main Media Collection - Video record 42413 DVD

Location: Electronic Resource- 

Location: Electronic Resource- 

Location: Electronic Resource- 

We’ve got several subfolders for the Inbox in a Shared Mailbox which we want to sort in such a way that the most frequently folders are at the top. The rest can remain ordered alphabetically.

We have no issues changing the sorting order at first. However, the sorting order seems to randomly get reset again and the folders end up in their original location.

We’ve tried renaming the folders with special prefixes as well, but that ended up in an even bigger mess.

Is there really no way to manually sort the folders of a Shared Mailbox and make them stay in their location?

Aeroxchange Singapore Airlines Aeroxchange Singapore Airlines All Path N1768678083 Bundles Mi_Base All Path N1979450715 Bundles... Lon Tibbatts, Controller, Farmers Brnch, TX, United States

Amazon Pharmacy has launched Same-Day Delivery of prescription medication in New York City and the greater L.A. area, with plans to expand the service to more than a dozen U.S. cities by the end of the year.