Posted on June, 13 2024
Bonn, Germany (13 June 2024): Climate negotiators have disappointingly failed to significantly advance many key issues at the UN climate talks in Bonn, undermining the momentum needed to ensure strong outcomes at COP29 to be held in Baku, Azerbaijan in November this year.
Discussions on climate finance lacked the urgency required for one of the most critical decisions to be finalized at COP29. A new funding goal for the period 2025 to 2035 is set to be agreed, in line with the terms of the Paris Agreement. But developed countries have not yet given clear indication what they are considering contributing to developing countries for climate action, nor where the money will come from. Concurrently, calls for urgently-needed funding for adaptation, mitigation, and Loss and Damage remain unfulfilled.
Mark Lutes, WWF UNFCCC Negotiations Lead said, “This year, all countries must advance preparations of new national climate plans which should be transformative and economy-wide, aligning to the 1.5°C goal of the Paris Agreement. Developing countries must have confidence that finance will be available to implement ambitious plans. Developed countries missed another chance to signal their intentions.
“The continued lack of clarity that finance will be significantly scaled up will put ambitious climate action in jeopardy. With just six years left in this ‘critical decade’ when the world must reduce global emissions by at least 43% by 2030, we cannot falter on enabling climate action.”
WWF calls on developed countries to double adaptation finance to meet the need for communities to bolster protection against worsening climate impacts. In addition, the Loss and Damage Fund requires substantially more funds for it to fulfil its purpose. Progress is needed on both demands between now and COP29, as well as in discussions of the new finance goal for post-2025.
Fernanda de Carvalho, WWF Climate and Energy Policy Head, said, “The Mitigation Work Programme is the only negotiation space that focuses on … mitigation. Those discussions need to advance if we want to collectively reduce emissions by 43% by 2030 and 60% by 2035 from 2019 levels, indicated by the IPCC and confirmed by the Global Stocktake outcomes. This will only be achieved by enhanced NDCs which should be the focus of this work programme and the main deliverable by all countries, especially rich countries. Instead, we saw Parties diverging way more than converging on hard discussions that never made it beyond process. Not even an informal note by facilitators was accepted.
We cannot afford another talk shop that doesn't deliver while climate impacts keep escalating. We are counting on the Troika not only to deliver their NDCs, but also to influence other countries to deliver ambitious NDCS too. Within that context, we also want to see countries take measures related to ecosystems in line with the Global Biodiversity Framework. Such discussions on nature still don't have a clear home in the UN negotiations, so WWF proposes that a climate-nature workstream to operationalize their convergence is adopted in Baku.”
Shirley Matheson, WWF Global NDC Enhancement Lead, said, “It is disappointing to see some countries attempt to relegate the Global Stocktake outcomes to mere considerations for their nationally determined planning processes, while it should be viewed as a roadmap. Stubborn resistance could jeopardize the overall impact of the new national 1.5℃ aligned climate plans, which the world cannot afford. Countries must back up their plans with concrete action. We know that this must include the phase out of fossil fuels. So countries who are continuing to expand fossil fuel exploration and extraction are speaking with a forked tongue if they do not also take action to reduce their fossil fuel dependence. Words in the negotiating forums must be turned into action in the real world.”
Pauli Merriman, WWF Global Oceans Policy Head said: “WWF is heartened that nature and ocean biodiversity are established as prominent themes in the Oceans Dialogue. The constructive exchanges provide a timely opportunity for Parties to include ocean-climate solutions in the next round of NDCs. It is crucial to capture actionable recommendations from the Dialogue into the COP29 decision text as a response to the Global Stocktake. We urge Parties to develop an ambitious roadmap for the Dialogue to ensure they can meet the scale of ambition required to bolster the health of the ocean and benefit from the solutions it provides to tackle the climate crisis.”
ENDS
CONTACT
Robin Harvey
Izrael Muhamad
NOTES
WWF’s COP29 Expectations Paper ‘Financing the Future: Unleashing Climate Action’ is available to download here
WWF’s Climate and Energy Policy Manifesto 2024, ‘Turning the tide on tipping points: Aiming higher, doing more and exploring synergetic solutions’ is available to download here
Find out more about WWF and COP29 here: wwf.panda.org/cop29
