COP29: Advocating for animal protection
Blog
At COP29 in Baku, World Animal Protection pushed for stronger climate policies to address the impact of factory farming. While progress was made, the conference fell short in tackling industrial agriculture’s role in climate change.
COP29 in Baku has been a critical moment for global climate negotiations, highlighting both the urgency of the climate crisis and the significant work still needed to transform our world. While the conference made some progress, it ultimately fell short of delivering the bold action required to tackle one of the largest contributors to climate change: factory farming.
Delegates from World Animal Protection were at the forefront, advocating for a shift to sustainable food systems that protect animals and the planet.
The urgency of tackling industrial agriculture
Factory farming is a major driver of greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation and biodiversity loss, accounting for 14.5% of global emissions. Despite the clear link between factory farming and climate change, COP29 largely overlooked this issue.
World Animal Protection delegates attended the conference to demand stronger climate policies that integrate animal welfare and promote plant-based diets and sustainable farming practices as essential solutions to meet global climate targets and protect vulnerable communities and ecosystems.
Key actions and advocacy at COP29
- Alongside climate activists, we participated in a silent protest to draw attention to agribusiness giants like JBS, whose lobbying undermines meaningful climate action. As the world’s largest meat producer, JBS contributes significantly to deforestation and environmental degradation while evading substantial regulation.
- We engaged with delegations from the European Union, Azerbaijan and Senegal, pushing for the integration of animal welfare and sustainable agriculture into national climate strategies.
- Our global CEO, Tricia Croasdell, delivered a powerful speech at the “Women's Power in Sustainable Development” event, emphasizing the critical role of women in advancing sustainable agricultural practices and climate resilience.
- We launched our briefing paper, “Towards Equitable, Humane, and Sustainable Food Systems”, during the conference. The paper emphasizes the urgent need to address the interconnected crises of climate change and factory farming, offering solutions such as scaling up plant-based diets and promoting sustainable farming practices.
Missed opportunities at COP29
A key disappointment at COP29 was the much anticipated finance package under the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG). While the commitment of US$300 billion is a step forward, it pales compared to the US$1.3 trillion economists agree is necessary to address the climate emergency. This shortfall leaves vulnerable communities, ecosystems and billions of animals at risk.
As Kelly Dent, head of our COP29 delegation, put it: “COP29 will be remembered as the ‘great finance escape.’”
Looking ahead to COP30
As we look toward COP30 in Belem, Brazil, we remain committed to advocating for bold climate action. The failure to address industrial animal agriculture at COP29 underscores the urgent need for continued advocacy to ensure that animal welfare is prioritized in global climate policies.
Join us in advocating for a future where animals, people and the planet thrive together.
Protecting animals is protecting our planet.