World Climate Conference: Climate summit continues to struggle for a breakthrough in the trillion dollar dispute

At the World Climate Conference, the pressure on industrialized countries like Germany is increasing in the dispute over trillions in aid. Several groups of states – including African countries, island states and the least developed countries – reject the current draft final declaration and are calling for more ambitious decisions on aid funds in the coming years.

Activists marched through the conference halls late in the evening with their arms raised and crossed – as a sign of protest.

250 billion US dollars as a sum in the text

The central point of contention is how much financial flows to developing countries will be increased. The presidency suggested that the industrialized countries in particular mobilize 250 billion US dollars annually for climate protection and adaptation to climate impacts for poorer countries by 2035 – that would be around 2.5 times more than is currently being spent. However, the demand is also increasing significantly, not to mention the need to compensate for inflation.

The island states then appealed “to the moral conscience of those who see themselves as our partners to stand by us.” Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock negotiated with the island states in the evening, among others, according to delegation circles. However, the Green politician had previously emphasized that you cannot sign “bad checks”.

Thunberg considers the UN process to have failed

Dozens of developing countries had vehemently demanded trillions in funding. An independent UN group of experts also comes to the conclusion that the need for external aid will be around 1,000 billion US dollars per year by 2030 – and even 1,300 billion by 2035.

The overall goal in the five-page draft text is a sum of at least 1.3 trillion dollars, with development banks and private sources of money also playing an important role – as well as other donor countries.

The two-week conference with tens of thousands of delegates was actually supposed to end on Friday, but instead it extended into the night. Greta Thunberg, initiator of Fridays for Future and former icon of the climate movement, described the climate conference as a failure before it was over. The conference proves once again that the UN process is doomed to failure because it is built “on a system of injustice” and sacrifices current and future generations for the sake of profits.

Despite intensive negotiations, Baerbock drew attention to the precarious human rights situation in Azerbaijan on Friday evening. According to sources in the German delegation, she met media professionals and human rights activists in Azerbaijan who are subject to state repression.