COP29 carbon credit debate sparks backlash from activists

At COP29 summit in Baku, Article 6 of the Paris Agreement was criticised by climate justice groups. They are sounding the alarm, warning that this approach lets the world’s biggest polluters off the hook. Instead of cutting emissions at the source, they can simply buy credits, allowing them to continue polluting without making meaningful changes, they say.

Outside the venue, campaigners used visual displays to amplify their messages, including a ‘Pay Up’ banner in a nearby stadium calling for the richest countries to shoulder their responsibilities and contribute their fair share to funding the fight against climate change.

Meanwhile, other activists used polar bears and bananas to advocate for nuclear energy as a safe, low-emission solution to the climate crisis, claiming that the radiation from a banana exceeds that of living next to a nuclear plant for a whole year.