Climate Talks Run into Rough Weather: Poor-Rich Gap Divides Dialogue
Climate Talks Run into Rough Weather: Poor-Rich Gap Divides Dialogue
The COP (Conference of Parties) 20 at Lima has run into extra time with no solid or concrete resolution in sight for assistance from rich countries to help with funds for lowering GHG emissions. The talks which were to be suspended at 12 pm within a period of 10 days are now going to spill over further. The new draft text has already received a less than favourable reception.
Starting on a High, Ending on a Low?
The Lima negotiations began on a positive note as the climate change summit looked to be a massive success following the move by US, China and the EU to bring forth new commitments to cut down on carbon pollution. The talks were expected to be wrapped up at 12pm following a span of 10 days but now are running overtime. Yet again, it is the perennial divide between the rich and poor during the climate change negotiations which has jarred the proceedings. The question remains as to how countries should share the burden for cutting down on greenhouse gas emissions and who should pay how much.
Blueprint for Next Summit
The talks had been put in place for drafting a blueprint for the global deal to combat climate change to be adopted in Paris at a later point in the coming year. Developing countries however, soon put the question across as to whether the developed nations would not go back on their word to provide money for combating climate change. Following 10 days of talks, the developing nations have indicated the assurance was not enough.
Money Matters
By the middle of the week, as less as USD 10 billion had been raised for the green climate fund for helping poor nations to invest in technology using clean energy. This is well below the target of USD 15 billion and many of the funds will be spread over many years.
In the context of the climate talks, it remains unclear as to how industrialised countries could be held to their promise to provide USD 100 billion for climate finance by the year 2020, developing countries negotiators have indicated that the sum is far below the desired amount.
“We are disappointed,” said India’s Minister Prakash Javadekar as per quotes in the media reports “It is ridiculous. It is ridiculously low.” Javadekar also remarked that “We are upset that 2011, 2012, 2013 – three consecutive years – the developed world provided $10 bn each year for climate action support to the developing world, but now they have reduced it. Now they are saying $10 bn is for four years, so it is $2.5 bn.”
Developing nations that are especially at the receiving end of the climate change phenomenon and are exceptionally vulnerable have voiced their concerns as well. “There have been more than 20 years of Conference of the Parties (CoP) meetings, such as those at Lima, with little in the way of concrete outcomes,” said Ahmed Sareer, negotiator from Maldives who is going to head the Alliance of Small Island States “How many CoPs will it take for us to really see any tangible results? We have been going from CoP to CoP and every time we are given so many assurances, and expectations are raised, but the gaps are getting wider,” he also said. “There has been a clear commitment of $100 bn a year but how are we really being offered? Even when they make those pledges how do we know how much is going to materialise? There is no point of knowing that behind the wall there is a big source of funds available unless we can reach it,” he said.“We are told it is there in a nice show case, but we don’t get to meet it. We don’t get to access it. These are difficult issues for us.”
The Question of Differentiation
Differentiation, in UN parlance, is what is driving the differences between the developed and developing nations and the 7 page draft text framed earlier certainly did not help. US and other developed nations require all nations to cut GHG emissions. Original UN classification during the 1990s absolved China, India and other nations of cutting down their emissions.
Another point of contention is that countries are also fighting over the “intended nationally determined contributions” because rich nations only want to commit to carbon cuts while developing nations also want financing commitment for combating climate change.
The latest draft text released around 2.30 a.m. following the 7 page draft, is a weaker version of the earlier page one and the national contributions of countries is mitigation centric yet again.
COP-20
The 20th session of the Conference of parties as well as the 10th session of the Conference of Parties serve as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol from 1st to 12th December. COP-20/CMP 10 is being conducted by the Government of Peru in the city of Lima.
Conclusion
COP events come and ago but the same issue remains, one of funding. If governments across the world could come to a lasting agreement about the financial aspect, much would be accomplished in the way of a clean, green and safe future for the generations to come.
