COP29 talks end with measly $300 billion deal

The COP29 climate talks ended in Azerbaijan in the early hours of Sunday, with developed countries not budging beyond the $300 billion offer for climate finance that has been described as "too little, too late" by negotiators of developing nations and activists alike, capping a tumultuous fortnight that many say may have dealt a blow to the fight against the climate crisis.

- Jayashree Nandi

The amount, at the centre of an acrimonious couple of closing days, is far short of the $600 billion some developing nations have sought, and may not entirely be in the form of grants from rich nations, which have historically contributed the lion's share of greenhouse gases.

India led a strident revolt in the moments after the COP29 presidency gavelled the deal. "We are extremely disappointed. Trust is the basis for all action and this incident is indicative of a lack of trust," declared Chandni Raina, the negotiator from India and a finance ministry advisor. "This is also a lack of collaboration on an issue which is faced as a global challenge by all of us, most of all the developing countries that are not responsible for it."