Oxford University academics have called for ambitious actions at the UN Climate Change Conference COP29.

The 2024 conference, held in Baku, Azerbaijan, saw around 200 countries come together to develop renewed plans to tackle climate change.

With global progress currently 'falling miles short' of what is needed to avoid catastrophic climate change, there is an urgent need for these negotiations to result in more ambitious actions.

A delegation of University of Oxford researchers attended the conference in person, with many more following the proceedings virtually.

Throughout the summit, running from November 11 to 22, they contributed their expertise and presented new research findings to inform the discussions.

The Oxford delegation included representatives from the Department of Biology, School of Geography and the Environment, Blavatnik School of Government, Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment, Faculty of Law, and Saïd Business School.

Their expertise covers a broad range of critical areas including climate finance, carbon trading, climate justice, and environmental law.

Leading Oxford’s COP29 delegation was Thomas Hale, professor of global public policy at the Blavatnik School of Government.

He said: "I hope COP29 will send countries a clear signal that they need to upgrade their pledges under the Paris Agreement, due next year, and match top-level targets with concrete rules and regulations that drive implementation.

"A trust-building deal on the new finance goal can give countries confidence to reach their maximum ambition."

George Carew-Jones, a researcher in climate-compatible growth at the University of Oxford’s Smith School of Enterprise and Environment, said: "COP29 is a big opportunity to target a couple of barriers which have been holding back the UNFCCC process for a long time: finance and accountability."

Sam Fankhauser, professor of climate economics and policy at the Oxford Smith School and the School of Geography and the Environment, said: "This is a bridging summit ahead of the much bigger COP30 in Brazil next year.

"But it is important that we make progress on issues such as a new climate finance goal, the rules on global carbon trading, and the next round of national commitments to keep global warming well below 2°C."

The delegation also included Kath Ford, deputy director for Young Lives, Dr Injy Johnstone, research associate in net zero-aligned offsetting, Dr Mary Johnstone-Louis, senior fellow in management practice, Dr Ievgeniia Kopytsia, environmental and climate law scholar, Dr Amani Maalouf, senior research associate, Dr Ana Nacvalovaite, research fellow, Dr Brian O'Callaghan, expert on green investment, Dr Thom Wetzer, associate professor of law and finance, Professor Juliane Reinecke a professor of management studies, and research fellow Dr Hassan Aftab Sheikh.