An annual United Nations climate change conference has kicked off in Azerbaijan amid uncertainties over United States cooperation following Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential election.

The COP29 meeting began in Baku on Monday.

At the start of the conference, Mukhtar Babayev, COP29 president and Azerbaijan's ecology and natural resources minister, said, "Climate change is already here." He also said, "COP29 is the unmissable moment to chart a new path forward for everyone." He stressed that the international community should unite to fulfil an ambitious goal.

A major topic on the agenda will be finance targets from 2025 for developed countries to help developing nations address climate change, as well as how those contributions should be shouldered.

Earlier this month, Donald Trump won the US presidential election. He has advocated that the country pull out of the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change. The US is the world's second largest emitter of greenhouse gases.

A representative from the Indian Ocean island nation of Comoros said the situation would be very difficult without the US.

An official from Finland said he is worried about Trump's stance. He said he does not know whether funds can be found to replace the US contributions. He argued that the participants should seek funds also from emerging countries.

COP29 will continue through November 22.