Slow negotiations, fossil fuel lobbyists could put COP29 finance outcome at “risk”

By John Okot

As the COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, enters its second week, negotiators and climate activists from the developing countries are expressing little optimism and concern about a grim outcome.
The first week of the climate negotiations ended with yet another disappointing stalemate as negotiators expressed disappointments in the failure of the countries to commit to ambitious climate finance package.

Negotiators from the developing nations are increasingly getting agitated by the negotiation process of the ongoin “finance COP," adding they playing delayings tactic not to commit to paying for climate action.

So far  three texts on climate finance have openly rejected by the negotiators because are “imbalanced, unfair, and inaccessible” and therefore do not fully cover the needs of the climate-bit communities in the Global South.
There is “a lack of significant progress at the technical negotiator level during the first week raises significant risks moving into the second week,” said Mr. Ali Mohamed, the AGN Chair and Kenya’s Special Envoy for Climate Change.

For Africa, Ali  continued “reaching agreement for the sake of agreement is not good enough. The new climate finance goal must offer confidence that developed countries will support delivery of real-world outcomes in the response to climate change by developing countries.”

For some delegates like Mr. Mohammed Adow, the founder of Power Shift, a climate and energy think tank, “this has been the worst first week of a COP in my 15 years attending these summits” 
“There is growing frustration among the developing country groups at the climate negotiations,” Mr. Adow adds.
Right from the onset, climate finance has been at the centre of negotiations. Developing nations want the Global North to commit to the New Collective Quantified Goals (NCQG) by paying a quantum of $1.3 trillion US dollars per annum by 2030,and this would be reviewed based on the needs of developing countries.

The NCQG was first launched in 2015—after succeeding the 2009 agreement in Copenhagen—during the Paris Agreement. At that time developed countries agreed to collect from a floor of $100bn per year before 2025. The goal was, however, met in 2022, two years after the initial deadline. With the deadline fast approaching, developing nations want the global North to adopt this ambitious finance commitment.

In a letter, the U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, U.N. climate secretary Christiana Figueres, and former Ireland President Mary Robinson, called for a “fundamental overhaul” of the entire climate talks, adding that the time is ripe to “shift from negotiation” to implementation of the climate finance.

Fossil fuel lobbyist cast a shadow on the COP29

Then there is fossil fuel. Reports emerged mid-week that more than 1,773 lobbyists had been granted access at the COP29. This sparked worrying concerns, with climate activists and climate policy analysts, saying that their presence would put negative influence on the ongoing climate negotiations. (Last year, approximately 2,400 fossil fuel industry lobbyists attended the COP28 in Dubai.)

"They need to pay up for their climate catastrophes,” said Mr. Omar Elumawi, the convener of the African Climate Movement Building. “Fossil fuel has done nothing but make our lives miserable.”
Ms. Casey Horinek, the Project Coordinator of the Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network Project Coordinator, said the fossil fuel industry is a cancer that I families—mothers and children” and therefore should stop if they “cared about humanity.”

As a result, at least 1,000 African climate activists have petitioned the African Group of Negotiators, demanding an end to fossil fuel projects, mechanisms that make polluters pay for climate damages, and they also reject false solutions and investments in renewable energy solutions such as carbon offsetting.
“This petition represents the voices of thousands of Africans who are already experiencing the devastating impacts of climate change,” Murtala Touray, Program Director at Greenpeace Africa, said.

 “We are calling on our negotiators to stand firm in demanding that fossil fuel companies pay their fair share for the damage they've caused to our communities and environment."
Meanwhile some Civil Society Orgsnaisations accusing the Global North of  frustrating both climate fiannce and just transition by trying to turn climate talks into profit venture instead of putting “real finance on the table,” 

“Ensuring a just transition in energy isn’t just about replacing technology and can’t just be left up to the private sector,” said Ms.Teresa Anderson, the Global Lead on Climate Justice at ActionAid International.
 
“A responsible energy transition must actively involve communities and invest in infrastructure, training, social protections, and sustainable livelihoods.”