Rich nations try to shift pollution responsibility to India, China

Developing countries in Asia, including India, and climate activists are seeking over $1 trillion annually as grants alone from rich, polluting nations as compensation for climate change in the runup to COP 29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, the world's biggest climate event, which began this week, according to delegates and observers at the COP29 event in Baku.

- S DINAKAR

But Global North is sidestepping their responsibilities and deflecting the core issue of historical pollution, participants said.

Monetary demands are in addition to technology transfers as part of a $5-6 trillion demand before Global North to pay their fair share for the damages caused to the climate of developing countries. India is among a few countries worst affected, an official said.

But instead of considering the requirements of Global South, led by India, whose devastation has more to do with how Global North near-exhausted the planet's carbon budget to get rich, many rich nations, led by the United States (US), are trying to categorise the demands as investment to meet their global commitments without making any provision from their public finances for climate funding, an official from Greenpeace International said.