COP29: A test of wealthy nations’ Climate commitment

BY STEVE EPHRAEM

As the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29) begins in Baku, Azerbaijan today, ActionAid International joins the global chorus demanding climate justice and finance. The organisation’s experts, including Climate Justice Lead Teresa Anderson, emphasise the urgent need for wealthy countries to commit to securing a liveable planet.

“Frontline countries are being pushed deeper into debt by the climate crisis, despite doing little to cause it,” Anderson said. “Climate-hit countries need COP29 to agree on a new climate finance goal worth trillions of dollars in grants each year.”

ActionAid representatives from around the world including the Country Director of ActionAid Bangladesh, Farah Kabir, highlight the devastating effects of cyclones and flooding in Bangladesh. “Communities in the Global South do not have the luxury of time. We need climate finance now to build resilience and shift to greener pathways.”

Kelly Stone, Senior Policy Analyst at ActionAid USA, emphasise that climate finance is core to an equitable approach to climate action. “Market mechanisms are not climate finance. Developed countries must provide grant-based climate finance to meet Paris Agreement goals.”

COP29 is a critical test of wealthy countries, the Global North’s commitment to securing a liveable planet. Will they rise to the challenge and provide the necessary climate finance to the Global South?