Geopolitics is at play in more ways than one as the talks at the 29th Conference of Parties (COP29) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change are all set to move into the decisive second week.
The entire climate community was eager to hear what the United States, still under the outgoing Biden administration, would say about the recent change in guard in the country where self-proclaimed climate sceptic, Donald Trump, registered a definitive win.
But US climate advisor John Podesta made no mention of either the US election results or about any change of climate policy in his address.
Meanwhile, the head of Bangladesh’s advisory council, Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus broadly stuck to the developed country line, apart from reiterating his three ‘zero’ concepts — zero waste, zero poverty and zero personal profit. He also advocated for lifestyle changes, a favourite mantra of India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi since 2015.
The conference has also seen developments other than discussions on climate finance. Argentina, under climate change denier Javier Millei choose to walk out from the ongoing COP. And an Azerbaijan minister severely criticised some European countries alleging double standards. In response, a senior French official decided to skip the Baku talks.
On Thursday, India added a shade to the geopolitical hue when its lead negotiator Naresh Pal Gangwar, speaking on behalf of Like-Minded Development Countries (LMDC), pointed out that developed countries need to mobilise at least US$1.3 trillion every year till 2030, without subjecting developing countries to growth-inhibiting conditionalities, as well as focus more on adaptation compared to the present. The demand is higher than India’s earlier quoted value of US$1 trillion.
Donald Trump was conspicuously absent in the intervention of John Podesta, US negotiation head in the first week. This, despite him being all over the corridors and behind the closed doors in the Baku Olympic stadium.
“President Biden and Vice President Harris have marshalled unprecedented climate resources over the past four years because of historic private sector investments made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act,” claimed Podesta. He vouched that “the United States economy will continue down the path of decarbonisation, reducing emissions for years to come”.
“And we are on track to meet President Biden’s ambitious international public finance commitment of US$11 billion per year by the end of 2024,” said the negotiator while suggesting that key negotiated outcomes need to be concluded first in COP29.
“This includes building on last year’s global stocktake, concluding work on Article 6 and adopting a robust NCQG,” said the US negotiator.
He added: “Countries, particularly major economies, need to keep their Dubai commitment and submit 2035 NDCs that are economy-wide, 1.5 aligned, and include all greenhouse gases.”
Podesta assured that the United States would meet the commitment of submitting first biennial transparency reports by December 31.
Though Podesta concluded by saying “let’s get it done”, independent experts have raised doubts about the claim, especially as Trump does seems to be in no mood of leaving his anti-climate path.
Trump has said he may repeal subsidies for electric vehicles, a landmark of Biden’s climate law, and revert the Inflation Reduction Act that pumped in billions of dollars in subsidies for clean energy.
Meanwhile, it seems that US Democrats and climate supporters within the subnational government will rally behind the global climate decisions as they did in the first term of Trump.
“We are going to move forward … state by state, county by county, city by city, in continuing our tremendous dynamic growth of our clean energy economy,” Jay Inslee, governor of Washington state in the Pacific Northwest, recently told reporters. Inslee happens to be a founding member of the US Climate Alliance, a bipartisan coalition of 24 governors of states and US territories, which it claims represents 57 per cent of the US economy.
Yunus, who has been quite critical of western countries in media interviews, chose to speak in a much-restrained manner during the high-level meeting.
“The climate crisis is intensifying. Our civilisation is at grave risk as we continue to promote self-destructive values. We need to mobilise our intellectual, financial and youth power to lay the foundation for a new civilisation — a self-preserving and self-reinforcing civilisation,” said the Nobel laureate-turned-head of state.
“In order to survive, we need to create a counter-culture which is based on a different life-style. It is based on zero waste. It will limit consumption to essential needs, leaving no residual waste. This lifestyle will also be based on zero carbon. No fossil fuel. Only renewables,” added Yunus.
“Each young person will grow up as a three zero person — zero net carbon emissions, zero wealth concentration, through building social businesses, and zero unemployment by turning themselves into entrepreneurs,” added the economist, laying his ambitious dream in front of the world.
However, a senior Bangladesh official who has accompanied Yunus to Baku, clarified that the present dispensation has been putting a lot of emphasis on environmental and climatic issues, with an effort to make the process as inclusive as possible. But the official confirmed that a decision like closing down the Rampal thermal power station is not under consideration.
Some of the fiercest critics of the Rampal coal-based power plant, close to the Bangladeshi Sundarbans, are in power now. But the official reasoned; “You need time to make a just transition to cleaner energy. We are not thinking of closing down the Rampal station at the moment.”
“The chief advisor has advised all of us on raising the issue of Bangladesh’s vulnerability in as many forums as possible in COP29to see how we can go closer to the climate finance support of US$12 billion, the broad Bangladesh target that is being calculated,” Bangladesh’s youth activist Sohanur Rahman told this correspondent on the sidelines of COP 29.