Associated Press

BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) — In the bloodied seats of a nearly empty Baku Olympic stadium covered in a layer of dust, activists used a giant banner to broadcast the words “Pay Up” to the world. But the negotiators below, who will decide the financial future of climate action at COP29, didn’t see it. The physical separation between this protest and key stakeholders in this year’s UN climate negotiations represents a bigger challenge activists face at an event that strictly limits where and how they can speak out about issues for which they fight. This difficulty overlaps with the general atmosphere of a COP light on world leaders and heavy on the pressure to finance vital climate action.