A succession of testimonies about the consequences of climate change before the empty chairs of the leaders of large countries. Tuesday, November 12, during the second day of the 29thmy Climate Conference of the Parties (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan, nearly 80 world leaders took to the podium one after another.
Neither the United States, nor China, nor India, nor Canada, nor Japan had sent representatives. The same happens with important countries in climate diplomacy, such as France or Germany. Absences that left room for around thirty African leaders, representatives of “small islands” or Central Asian countries, all affected by the intensification of climate “dangers” and concerned about the crisis of multilateralism disturbed by the wars in Ukraine, Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen. … “The purse strings are open to finance war, but they are closed when it comes to financing the climate transition”declared Mohamed Muizzu, president of the Maldives.
Each had come up with their own words to describe the avalanche of disasters. Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, President of Zimbabwe, spoke about the “A devastating drought that disrupts many aspects of the lives of our inhabitants”. Philip Isdor Mpango, vice president of Tanzania, estimated that his country was losing “2% to 3% of its gross domestic product [PIB] » due to climate change. Tiemoko Meyliet Koné, vice president of Ivory Coast, alerted “the two million” of his compatriots “who could fall into extreme poverty”. Sadyr Japarov, president of Kyrgyzstan, was moved by the melting of glaciers while “The daily lives of many people living downstream depend on these ecosystems”. Everyone had also come to show their good will, to talk about national adaptation plans or greener mobility policies implemented.
But they also all went to Baku to question the developed countries. “We have to move our houses. Where will we find the money to do it?asked Ahmed Abdullah Afif Didi, vice president of Seychelles. There were many commitments at COP28, at COP27, at COP26… Let us do everything possible to ensure that our words become actions. »
The crucial issue of this COP29 thus emerged a little more with each speech by the representatives of the “South”. Over the next ten days, negotiators will work to navigate between often divergent interests to untangle the threads of the conflict. New quantified collective goal (NCQG). This text must replace the objective of 100 billion dollars (94 billion euros) of aid from developed countries to developing countries, which was not reached until 2022, two years late, or 116 billion dollars, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. (OECD).
You have 61.04% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.
