MADRID 24 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The agreement announced this Saturday by the Presidency of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP29), which commits developed countries to annually finance 300 billion dollars (290 billion euros) by 2035 to support their developing partners , has received praise in advanced nations, but has generated rejection both in developing countries and among environmental activists.
The representative of India and the country’s Minister of Finance, Chandni Raina, has been one of the most critical voices of the agreement, which she has opposed, describing it as “unfair” and excluding nations.
“I regret to say that this document is nothing more than an optical illusion. This, in our opinion, will not address the enormity of the challenge we all face,” he declared, lamenting that it is “indicative of a erosion of trust and collaboration on an issue that is a global challenge that faces everyone.
Along these lines, the representative of Nigeria has defined the text as a “joke” and an “insult”, although criticism cannot change what is stipulated in the agreement.
The representative of Bolivia, for his part, has expressed concern about the lack of support for developing countries in the face of the climate crisis, regretting that these nations are being left alone in their difficult situation.
Likewise, he has warned that we are entering an era in which “each country will focus solely on its own well-being.” He stressed that climate aid should not be considered an act of charity, but rather a “legal obligation.”
THE REJECTION OF NGOS
Greenpeace has rejected the agreement, considering it “insufficient.” “Our future and that of our childhood is at stake!” said the head of Greenpeace for COP29, Jasper Inventor.
In a statement, the representative of Greenpeace Spain at COP29, Pedro Zorrilla Miras, stressed that “1 trillion dollars a year in public financing was demanded, and only 300,000 million have been approved, which represents an enormous and dramatic difference.” “.
“The approved financing target is clearly insufficient considering the desperation, the severity of the climate crisis and the comparison with the financing needed for climate action around the world,” he stressed.
The executive director of Greenpeace Spain, Eva Saldaña, has also defined COP29 as “an absolute shame.”
“People are fed up and disillusioned. It is desperate to see what the greed and corruption of a few is leading us to. In recent weeks we have suffered in Spain a DANA that has shown us the worst face of the climate crisis in the form of events extreme weather conditions that literally devastate fields, cities, homes and human lives,” he denounced.
Other NGOs, such as WWF, have also criticized the agreement. “The COP29 financing agreement is disappointing, inadequate and a step backwards,” WWF published on the X social network account.
“A hard blow to climate action, but it should not paralyze the solutions that are desperately needed around the world. We have to invest in our collective future,” they reiterated.
PRAISE IN THE WEST
However, the president of the United States, Joe Biden, has applauded the “historic result” of COP29 and has encouraged “all countries” to “take a step forward” to achieve the “ambitious international climate financing goal for 2035.” “.
“Today, at COP29, thanks in part to the tireless efforts of a strong American delegation, the world reached agreement on another historic outcome. In Baku, the United States challenged countries to make an urgent decision: either condemn the communities vulnerable to increasingly catastrophic climate disasters, or take a step forward and put us all on a safer path to a better future,” the president said in a statement shared by the White House.
Other nations, such as Germany, have also welcomed the text and have appealed to their responsibility towards developing countries: “We know that our decisions today will not be enough on their own to satisfy all needs,” said the German minister. of Foreign Affairs, Annalena Baerbock.
Baerbock has expressed that the figures in the agreement can only be a starting point and has assured participants that Germany “will comply.” “Because we have learned from our mistakes in the past – we cannot sign a bad check – this is also a matter of trust,” he added.
Likewise, the European Commissioner for Climate Action, Wopke Hoekstra, has praised the agreement: “And those who believe in a better world have won,” he said, promising that “a new era in financing of the fight against climate change” in which the European Union will continue to play a leading role.
The Secretary General of the UN, António Guterres, for his part, has applauded the agreement reached and has presented it as a “base” on which to continue moving forward, although he has acknowledged that his expectations were more ambitious.
These statements come after the COP19 Presidency announced a final declaration that reflects an annual financing commitment by developed countries of 300 billion dollars (290 billion euros) by 2035 to their developing partners after a long night of negotiations.
The funding is intended to help developing countries improve climate protection and adapt to the devastating effects of global warming, such as more frequent droughts, storms and floods.
Previously, the participants of this COP29, which is being held in Baku (Azerbaijan), had closed this Saturday an agreement on the rules for a global market for the purchase and sale of carbon credits to reduce greenhouse gas emissions after nine years of negotiations. An issue on which consensus had not been reached since the Paris Agreement was approved in 2015 amid immense doubts about the reliability of this system.