Does COP29 matter amid eroded political consensus?

The comity of nations is joined together like the beads of a rosary through the multilateral platform of the United Nations that is looked up as the only ray of hope in extreme crisis like war, conflicts, disasters or natural calamities.

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was also envisioned with the UN spirit in mind to join global fraternity under one platform to combat disastrous impacts of environmental degradation and global warming popularly called as “Climate Change”.

Since, the ratification of the Convention, the nations that were parties to or members of the UNFCCC held annual meetings since 1995 to synergize global efforts to save the planet from this existential threat of climate change.

COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, appeared to be the sequel to the same multilateral approach in a new fashion with revitalized rigour to give another ‘ray of hope’ to the developing nations sinking into the burden of delayed climate action by the developed countries who are responsible for tinkering with the mother nature and exploiting its resources to an unsustainable level.

The host nation, a thriving petrochemical state, also witnessed the same crisis and criticism by the global climate activists like its predecessor, the United Arab Emirates (UAE—COP28 host country) for being a petroleum exporting nation as host of global climate conference that is intended to mull over phase-out of fossil fuels from human lives to cut carbon emissions to a level where there is no hazardous impact on the planet earth and maintain its increasing temperatures to the safer threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Depressingly, the response of G20 countries, the world’s largest economies responsible for climate change with massive greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) driving climate change gave a cold shoulder to the much-anticipated climate talks that left climate politics once again dominating over climate action when the planet for the first time was passing through the hottest year of its recorded history.

President COP29, Mukhtar Babayev, flanked by UNFCCC Executive Secretary, Simon Stiell, in their joint media briefing on the progress at the commencement of the second week of COP29 negotiations appeared to be disappointed on the attitude of the developed nations to pledge for the climate finance to be mobilized for assisting adaptation and mitigation efforts across the globe.

“Politicians have the power to drive this process forward. It is time for courage and leadership. G20 countries must demonstrate a strong commitment to addressing the climate crisis, without their active participation, the global climate response will remain insufficient,” Babayev emphasised in his presser.

UNFCCC Executive Secretary Simon Stiell on the occasion echoed Babayev’s sentiments, emphasizing the need for faster action to meet global climate commitments. “Progress has been made, especially around carbon markets, but we still have a lot of work to do. The climate finance, often seen as a ‘charity’, must be recognized as a critical investment for vulnerable countries. The Finance package is vital, and it’s up to the parties to decide how it will take shape. The package should not only meet current needs but also help set the foundation for future climate resilience.”

United Nations Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, also expressed sincere comments stating, “An agreement at COP29 was absolutely essential to keep the 1.5 degrees limit alive. And countries have delivered. I had hoped for a more ambitious outcome – on both finance and mitigation – to meet the great challenge we face. But this agreement provides a base on which to build.”

From an ambitious call of 1.3 trillion dollars to only 300 billion dollars by 2035 climate financing goal—an elusive call to be materialized left the climate advocates, policymakers and activists in disappointment.

The COP meetings have set a tradition of promoting new buzzwords every year from net zero, carbon capture, common but differentiated responsibilities (CBDR), loss and damages, to new collective quantified goals on climate finance (NCQG) that all captured most of the spotlight in negotiations for delegates roaming around these terms with some from least developed nations even figuring out their context but left stranded in the technical jargon hindering their ability to effectively outsmart the developed nations and push them for meeting their commitments.

The COP29 negotiations on NCQG were finalized after 48 hours of the deadline of November 22, which is also again a tradition going vogue at COPs leaving all parties in a fix awaiting the final outcomes of the days long debate and discussion that will set the future course of action for the world to address climate change challenges.

Countries like Pakistan catch the spotlight due to extreme weather events where a single disaster devastates population alone equal to the scale of three Scandinavian nations combined, besides whooping billions of dollars collateral and economic losses. But these nations’ plight remains unheard when such pompous and halfhearted commitments are made from the global north nations that can do the needful to compensate their acts of violence against nature and mother earth leave the climate vulnerable nations in the lurch.

The UNFCCC needs to rethink its entire process of negotiations as despite many of its achievements, the lack of political will, consensus and spirit to deliver on the most contentious and pertinent issues like climate finance, loss and damage fund remain at the backburner.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024