An agreement was reached at the end of COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan. But he is already criticized for his lack of ambition.
The 29th United Nations Climate Change Conference has concluded, and an agreement has been reached… not without pain. Discussions continued during the night of Saturday November 23 to Sunday November 24, after two weeks of summit in Baku, Azerbaijan. And this agreement is already contested by some developing countries.
What are the terms of the agreement, adopted around 3 a.m.? Developed countries have committed to providing more funding to poor countries threatened by climate change. They will have to increase by 100 billion dollars today, and “at least 300 billion dollars” annually by 2035, their loans and donations to developing countries. This concerns European countries, the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan and New Zealand. And already, a disappointment: Western countries wanted this list to be extended to China, Singapore and the Gulf countries. For China, this was out of the question.
“The amount proposed is pitifully low”
What will these funds be used for? The objective for the beneficiary countries is to develop their economies while financing investment in low-carbon energies. Enough to avoid the use of oil and coal. But this funding promised for 2035 “is too weak, too late and too ambiguous in its implementation”, denounced Kenyan Ali Mohamed, who spoke on behalf of the African continent, cited by Franceinfo. This agreement lacks ambition, adds his counterpart from Malawi, Evans Njewa, representative of the 45 poorest countries on the planet. And for the Indian delegate, Chandni Raina, “The amount proposed is pitifully low. It is derisory.” The poorest countries asked for double or more: they even hoped for 1,000 billion dollars.
A mixed agreement, therefore, also marked by the absence of an important notion. In 2023, during COP28 in Dubai, the agreement included a call to “make a just, orderly and equitable transition towards an exit from fossil fuels in energy systems”. A notion which does not appear explicitly in the new text. Azerbaijan, where the last summit took place, was criticized for its proximity to oil-producing countries, notably by Germany.
Finally, in the text, there is also no annual monitoring system for transition efforts away from fossil fuels (i.e. coal, oil, gas), hoped for by Europeans, reports Liberation. However, the year 2024 will likely be the hottest ever measured. And the use of fossil fuels continues to increase around the world, notes Franceinfo.
Reactions are also mixed from Western countries. The French Minister for Ecological Transition Agnès Pannier-Runacher shares the grievances, and considers the agreement “disappointing”, “not up to the challenges”. While Joe Biden, American President, welcomed the “important step” made possible by this agreement in the fight against global warming. Same story from the United Kingdom: “It’s not everything we or others wanted but it’s a step forward for all of us.”
