Delegates from nearly 200 countries are hunkered down for 11 days of intense climate talks at COP29 in Baku, but with prominent leaders noticeably absent, doubts about the summit's potential for progress are looming.

Among those who will not be attending are European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron, Brazil’s Lula da Silva, and China’s Xi Jinping.  

Setting robust climate finance targets is high on this year's agenda at a time when the pressure couldn’t be higher, with the UN warning that global warming could rise by 2.9 to 3.1 degrees Celsius - almost double the "safe" limit set by the Paris Agreement. 

Join host Giada Santana as she talks to Euractiv’s climate, energy, and transport editor, Donagh Cagney, and climate reporter Paul Messad. Together, they will break down the events on the ground in Baku, Europe’s big goals for these talks, and what the missing world leaders could mean for the success - or failure - of the summit.