COP29 president scrambles to save deadlocked talks

DEVELOPING COUNTRIES REFUSE TO COMMIT TO STRONGER ACTION WITHOUT CLEAR FINANCIAL COMMITMENTS FROM DEVELOPED COUNTRIES

- Jayashree Nandi

The COP29 presidency moved to rescue stalled climate negotiations on Monday, appointing ministers from Egypt and Australia to broker agreement on the contentious new climate finance goal, following a week of deadlock that threatens to undermine the Baku talks.

The ministerial intervention comes as developing nations warn of a potential breakdown in negotiations over two critical issues: the scale of climate funding and expectations for enhanced climate action. Ministers from Norway and South Africa will separately lead consultations on mitigation goals in an effort to bridge the widening divide between wealthy and developing nations.

"We've worked closely with the Presidency... but we can't lose sight of the forest because we're tussling over individual trees. Nor can we afford an outbreak of you-first-ism"," UNFCCC executive secretary Simon Stiell told the opening plenary. He delivered an unusually blunt warning about negotiating tactics, urging an end to "bluffing, brinksmanship, and pre-meditated playbooks that burn up precious time and run down the goodwill needed for an ambitious package."

Crisis of trust

The talks face a fundamental deadlock: developing countries refuse to commit to stronger action without clear financial commitments from developed nations, which, particularly the Environmental Integrity Group (including Switzerland, South Korea, Mexico) and Umbrella Group (including the US, Australia, and Canada), accuse them of "blocking progress" on mitigation.