Wealthy states, including the European Union and the United States, have opposed financial aid to poor states suffering from the devastating effects of global warming being formally included in the program of the next UN climate summit. .
Observers and activists who attended the ten-day preparatory meeting in Bonn, Germany, expressed frustration at the resistance shown by developed states to engage in meaningful discussions about how underdeveloped states countries can receive assistance when hit by climate-related disasters.
“Wealthy countries, especially those in the European Union, have scuttled talks about loss and damage at every opportunity,” said Teresa Anderson of ActionAid International.
Delegates from developing countries hoped that the growing awareness of the astronomical climate-related costs that already afflict billions of people around the world would make a difference on this issue, which has long divided rich and poor within of the international community.
“Terrifying disconnect” with reality
Those hopes were fueled by a G7 statement last month that recognized the need for more public and private aid to tackle the impacts of climate change.
The meeting in Bonn, where the UN climate secretariat is located, was intended to lay the groundwork for the next summit scheduled for November in Egypt.
“Whether it’s creating a new funding structure, providing funds, arranging technical support, or even just including the issue on the COP27 agenda, rich countries have done nothing. than block, block, block,” Ms. Anderson railed.
Highlighting in passing the famine caused by a drought which currently threatens millions of people in the Horn of Africa, she accused the rich countries of showing a “terrifying disconnect” with global reality.
His criticisms echo those of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who this week accused several governments of “dragging their feet” in the fight for the climate.
Several experienced observers had warned against hopes for significant progress, especially on issues involving dollars.
Despite everything, the result of these preparatory meetings seems even thinner than expected.
The subject of international aid linked to climate disasters should probably return to the menu of discussions on Friday during a virtual meeting of G7 leaders, chaired by US President Joe Biden.