The 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29) takes place in Azerbaijan in November 2024. The annual climate change conference must focus on holding corporations and countries accountable for greenhouse gas emissions.
The “polluter pays” principle has been a key part of climate discussions for years. It says a polluter should bear the costs of managing its pollution, to prevent damage to human health and the environment.
Although the principle is widely accepted in theory, it hasn’t been put into practice consistently, or enforced. Many of the largest polluters continue to operate with little or no financial consequence for the damage they cause.
