COP29 at a glance: Strained talks and rising frustration among nations

Day 3 of COP29 was the second ‘World Leaders Day’, with negotiations focusing on reaching a deal to help poorer nations adapt to climate change and transition to cleaner energy. But there is serious doubt as to whether a good, fair deal can be struck and there is a sense of increasing anger and concern among the world’s poorest countries.

Bangladesh leader Muhammad Yunus issued punishing words to rich nations about their role in causing climate change and questioned the point of the COP talks. Talking to AP in an interview, he said, “Why should there be a negotiation? You are causing the problem, then you solve it. We will raise our voice and tell them it’s your fault, like what we did with colonialism.” He also gave a scathing review of what the negotiating rooms were like for poorer nations, saying the talks can be “humiliating” for poor countries, and more like a “fish market” packed with people trying to get the best bargains.

ActionAid International’s global lead on climate justice, Teresa Anderson also shared concerns about how the negotiations were shaping up for poorer nations. Talking about the draft text for funding she said, “the investment language that rich countries are pushing hard is clearly a bare-faced pitch to avoid providing real grant-based finance, and instead use frontline countries’ desperation to open up to more corporate exploitation.”

Meanwhile, there were ongoing rumblings today following remarks on Tuesday from Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev describing the nation’s oil and gas as a 'gift of God'. Faith leaders today openly rejected his comments and the COP29 Interfaith Liaison Committee, comprising of around 60 faith organisations, issued a Call to Action saying, “All countries must prioritise the urgent phase-out of fossil fuels, which are the primary source of greenhouse gas emissions….” Meanwhile, Brazil’s environment minister, Marina Silva, responded, “We should take care in moderation of the gifts we are given - if we eat too much sugar, we get diabetes.”

In other news today, Brazil’s Vice President Geraldo Alckmin formally submitted the country's new climate action plan. This was welcomed as an encouraging development, with another major economy signalling strong commitments to reducing emissions, following the submission of the UK’s updated NDC yesterday. However, excitement for this may well be muted as the day ended with reports that Argentina’s delegation is leaving the Summit. This adds to the dwindling number of nations engaged with this year’s COP and demonstrates the enormity of the challenge in co-ordinating global climate action.

Tomorrow will focus on finance, investment and trade, another big day for money talk, and we’ll be reporting on that in our newsletter. Sign up at hello@secnewgate.co.uk