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As deadline looms, nations, blocs reject draft negotiating text

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As deadline looms, nations, blocs reject draft negotiating text

  • A day before the scheduled close of talks, the COP29 meeting in Azerbaijan’s Baku stared at a major crisis Thursday with almost every country and bloc rejecting the latest draft negotiating text.

Highlights:

  • The COP29 meeting in Baku, Azerbaijan, faced a significant impasse as most countries and blocs rejected the latest draft negotiating text. Key disagreements spanned issues such as climate finance, mitigation, adaptation, and follow-ups on decisions from the 2023 Global Stock Take (GST) in Dubai.

Key Issues

  1. Finance as the Central Point of Dispute:
  • Developing countries raised strong objections to the lack of clarity and provisions in the draft concerning climate finance.
  • The focus of the meeting was expected to be on the New Cumulative Quantitative Goal (NCQG) for climate finance, but progress stalled due to diverging priorities.
  1. GST Follow-Up: Major Sticking Point:
  • The GST exercise, a five-yearly review mandated by the 2015 Paris Agreement, provides insights for climate action adjustments.
  • India and Saudi Arabia opposed follow-up actions on a specific GST paragraph that emphasized:
    • Transitioning away from fossil fuels.
    • Tripling renewable energy by 2030.
    • Reducing emissions of non-CO2 gases like methane.
    • Phasing down coal.
  1. Sectoral Disagreements
  • India's Concerns:
    • Methane emission cuts would adversely affect its agriculture sector.
    • India maintained that GST outcomes should merely inform parties, not enforce binding commitments.
  • Saudi Arabia and Oil-Producing Nations:
    • Opposed text targeting specific sectors, particularly fossil fuels, citing economic dependencies.

Focus on Mitigation vs. Finance:

  • Developing countries criticized the shift in emphasis from finance to mitigation.
  • Indian negotiator Leena Nandan emphasized the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities” and equity in addressing climate action.
  • Concerns were raised that mitigation ambitions were being prioritized without addressing the enablers, such as adequate financial provisions.

Prelims Takeaways

  • Global Stock Take (GST)
  • NCQG (New Cumulative Quantitative Goal on climate finance)

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