Betrayal or progress? Climate summit ends after extension

World Climate Conference

Betrayal or progress? Climate summit ends after extension

The approximately 200 states were just able to prevent the climate conference in Baku from failing completely. But there is still no big breakthrough – and climate protection is not getting anywhere.

Some speak of a new era, others of fraud and a bad joke: After bitter disputes, the World Climate Conference in Azerbaijan agreed on a new financial target for climate aid to poorer countries. On the other hand, there was no progress in climate protection – despite two weeks of consultations and another 32 hours of extension.

Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock nevertheless praised the decisions in Baku as an important signal in a difficult geopolitical situation. Now all economic nations in the world are asked to create “a reasonably reliable life insurance for the poorest”. “Europe cannot do this alone,” she said – also with a view to China and the rich Gulf states that have so far stood aside.

UN Secretary General António Guterres expects the approximately 200 states to now fulfill their promise “in full and on time”. “Commitments must quickly become cash!”

The new core target for climate financing, in which the industrialized countries should lead the way, is 300 billion US dollars annually by 2035. The overall target is at least 1.3 trillion US dollars (currently around 1.25 trillion euros), but there are many Loans and private investments included.

In addition, other donor countries should be encouraged to participate voluntarily. The appeal is so broad that climate activists criticize that no one is specifically responsible for this part of the financial goal. The decision does not oblige Germany, which provides around six billion euros annually from the federal budget, to make specific payments of a specific amount, any more than any other country.

So far, the traditional industrialized countries have mobilized a good $100 billion in climate aid every year. But according to an independent UN group of experts, the need for external aid is now around one trillion US dollars per year by 2030 and even 1.3 trillion by 2035.

The money will be used to help developing countries pay for more climate protection and adapt to the fatal consequences of global warming. Examples include more severe and frequent droughts, storms and floods, which cause millions of people to suffer and sometimes force them to flee abroad.

EU Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra said the conference heralded “a new era of climate finance.” The group of least developed countries sees it differently: “This is not just a failure, it is a fraud,” said the countries, many of which are in Africa, Asia or the Caribbean.

Their anger became palpable the night after the Azerbaijani conference leader hammered through the compromise – resolutions at climate conferences are traditionally sealed with a hammer blow from the host.

The representative of Nigeria described the 300 billion as a “joke” and “insult” to applause from parts of the room. A Bolivian representative complained that developing countries were being left alone to deal with their suffering in the climate crisis. An era is dawning in which everyone just wants to save their own skin.

While less than a year ago in Dubai the world celebrated the collective move away from coal, oil and gas as historic, almost a year later it is no longer even possible to repeat this formulation. According to negotiators, Saudi Arabia in particular was vehemently opposed to it. Ultimately, the wording was weakened to such an extent that not everyone wanted to agree. The targeted resolutions on climate protection were postponed at the last minute until next year after resistance in the plenary session.

In the meantime, there was also a possibility of failure in Baku: Baerbock and many others criticized Azerbaijan’s chaotic leadership. The organizers from the petrostate, 90 percent of whose export revenues come from oil and gas, praised themselves: Despite “geopolitical headwinds,” they had made every effort to be “an honest broker” for all sides.