Fossil of the Day presented to Azerbaijan, Colossal Fossil Goes to Annex 2, Ray of the COP goes to Colombia
Fossil of the Day: Azerbaijan
Today’s fossil goes to a country that doesn’t understand the gravity of the Presidency, or for that matter the value of civil society. Azerbaijan has fallen short, way short of the leadership needed here, which shouldn’t be that hard given the previous two COPs were hosted by the fossil fuel industry.
The tone they chose to set on the opening days by praising fossil fuels as “gifts from God” and lashed out at civil society did not bode well for the collaborative and diplomatic work needed over the two weeks.
This COP was anticipated for its crucial focus on finance. If an agreement is not reached on a justice-based finance deal, then it will be people all over the world who will suffer from the lack of ambition, adaptation and ability to recover.
Their take-it-or-leave-it approach is putting at risk not only the climate finance goal, but also other crucial topics failing to advance human rights-based climate action, such as the Just Transition & Gender Work Programmes.
In these decisive hours, the COP29 Presidency must use every chance to bring negotiators back to the table and to secure the transformative outcomes that it had the mandate, and responsibility, to deliver. There is no hope without climate finance, we must move forward here before we reach Belém.
Colossal Fossil: Annex Two Countries – Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, European Commission, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States of America
The biggest and baddest fossil of COP29 goes unsurprisingly to those most responsible for causing the climate crisis. They are trying to escape their legal obligations to pay the finance necessary for the world to meet the 1.5ºC goal.
How do they sleep at night, delaying, obstructing, and minimising their obligations all while people are dying in the Philippines – 171 people have died from 6 tropical storms hitting their coast during these 11 days at COP29.
These countries seem to only be able to talk out of both sides of their mouth, saying they have no money here and at the same funnelling hundreds of billions in subsidies and public finance for fossil fuels. Their continued attempt to pedal new forms of colonialism makes us realise a leopard never changes its spots. Touting market-based approaches and private sector solutions as ‘climate finance’ only fuels their greedy agenda, pushing their profits to new heights whilst keeping the Global South locked into debt traps, ensuring they remain at the bottom of the equity ladder and making them more vulnerable to climate change impacts.
These Colossal Fossils continue to ramp up their pollution and fossil fuel extraction, far surpassing their fair share, inflicting untold suffering on billions of people across the Global North and Global South, and they have the cheek to lowball our numbers. If only these governments listened to their people. If this is delayed further, it is those poorest across the world that will pay the cost of rich countries falling short.
Ray of the COP: Colombia
The Ray of the COP is sadly not an award often seen in these halls despite the desperate cries for ambition, but we are proud to call on COP28’s Ray of the COP to return to the podium. Colombia has joined civil society in calling for countries to mobilise $1.3 trillion annually for climate finance in their press conference yesterday. Colombia also emphasised the importance that this cannot contribute to the already crippling debt crisis faced by too many countries.
They have been trail blazers, deploying innovative strategies to breach the finance gap, turning to redirecting fossil fuel subsidies and calling on negotiators to work together on a roadmap to make it happen.
Their bold steps and strong voice in a sea of wallflowers, pushes for the finance needed to realise a just energy transition. We rally around their post-fossil fuel plan, showing leadership on the transition to a greener, fairer world.
As the only major oil producing country supporting the call for a Fossil Fuel Non-proliferation Treaty they demonstrate to the rest of us another world is possible.
-ENDS-
Contact: Dara Snead, Communications Officer: dsnead@climatenetwork.org/ +44 7356 160136