Developed Countries Continuously Shifting Goals: India at COP 29

Baku: At COP29 in Baku, India expressed frustration with developed countries for not seriously discussing how to support climate action in developing nations, saying it is impossible to tackle climate change without financial and technological help.

Delivering a statement in closing plenary of subsidiary bodies' meeting on Mitigation Work Programme (MWP) on Saturday, India said developed countries, which have historically contributed most to greenhouse gas emissions and have more resources and ability to act on climate change, have repeatedly delayed climate action and continuously shifted goalposts.

"We have seen no progress in matters critical for developing countries (during last week). Our part of world is facing some of worst impacts of climate change with far lower capacity to recover from those impacts or to apt to changes to climatic system for which we are not responsible," said India's deputy le negotiator Neelesh Sah.

He said MWP is meant to help, not punish, and must respect each country's right to set its own climate goals based on its unique needs and circumstances.

Sah said that if re are no means of implementation -- financial support, technology, and capacity-building -- developing and low-income economies cannot cut greenhouse gas emissions and apt to its effects.

"How can we discuss climate action when it is being me impossible for us to act even as our challenges in dealing with impacts of climate change are increasing?" Indian negotiator said.

India said developed countries with highest capacity to take climate action h "continuously shifted goals, delayed climate action, and consumed a highly disproportionate share of global carbon budget".

"We now have to meet our developmental needs in a situation where carbon budget is depleting and impacts of climate change are increasing. We are being asked to increase mitigation ambition by those who have shown no such ambition -- neir in ir mitigation efforts nor in providing means of implementation," he said.  

" bottom-up approach is being attempted to be me into a top-down approach, in turn attempting to turn whole mandate of MWP and principles of Paris Agreement upside down. For past week, at 'finance COP', we have been frustrated by unwillingness of developed countries to engage on this issue," Sah said.

At COP29, countries are discussing how MWP -- created two years ago at COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, to help support mitigation -- should work and what it should focus on.

Consultations on MWP have remained tense, with developing countries saying that it was meant to help nations share ideas, experiences, and solutions for cutting emissions.

y argue that it was not supposed to create new targets or force any country to take specific actions.

On or hand, developed countries want MWP to push for stronger, more immediate action from all countries.

Overall, a new climate finance package to help developing nations reduce greenhouse gas emissions and apt to climate change is top priority of this year's UN climate talks.

In 2009, developed countries promised to provide USD 100 billion every year by 2020 to support climate action in developing countries, but this goal was only met in 2022.

Of money provided, about 70 per cent came as loans, which increased financial burden on low-income countries alrey struggling with impacts of climate change.

With climate impacts worsening, developing countries need at least USD 1.3 trillion every year in financial support.

y argue this should come from developed countries' government funding, not from private sector, which is driven by profit and not accountable to UN climate process.

re has been little progress on this issue during talks, with developed countries pushing for climate finance package to be a "global investment goal", including money from all sectors -- public, private, domestic, and international.

"Climate finance cannot be changed into an investment goal when it is a unidirectional provision and mobilisation goal from developed to developing countries. Paris Agreement is clear on who is to provide and mobilise climate finance - it is developed countries," India’s le negotiator Naresh Pal Gangwar said on Thursday during a high-level dialogue on climate finance.

Some developed countries led by EU and US argue global economic landscape has shifted significantly since 1992. y suggest nations that have become wealthier since n, like China and some Gulf states, should also contribute to new climate finance goal.

Developing countries view this as an attempt to shift responsibility from those who have historically benefited from industrialisation and contributed most to greenhouse gas emissions.

y argue that expecting m to contribute, especially when many are still grappling with poverty and inequate infrastructure amid worsening climate impacts, undermines principle of equity.

potential withdrawal of US and Argentina from Paris Agreement has significantly affected morale of negotiators at COP29.

However, countries like China, UK, and Brazil have taken a strong leership role, offering hope for a much-needed deal to maintain confidence in multilateral diplomatic system.

Negotiators are now looking for a strong signal from G20 hes of governments who will meet at Rio De Janeiro in Brazil on November 18-19. 

(Except for heline, this story has not been edited by Republic and is published from a syndicated feed.)