COP29 Baku Negotiating Tables - Ms Toiata Uili, of Government of Samoa and the lead negotiator for the Pacific for mitigation. (Center with yellow flower) "What’s the use of having huge amounts of monies, huge amount of climate finance to support all these adaptation and mitigation measures when the temperature is still rising? That’s the predicament right now but we will not give up, we will keep on pushing and continue to try and hold that line." November 2024 Photo: SPREP/Photo by IISDENB Mike Muzurakis
Pacific climate leaders were frustrated by the sluggish rate of progress made during the first week of the UN climate meeting in Azerbaijan.
The big goal of this COP is to increase annual climate financing target from 100 billion US dollars originally set in 2009 for developed nations to help developing countries reduce emissions and adapt to climate impacts.
Now into week two the chair of the Pacific Small Island Developing States Sanlan William is hoping for action in Baku.
"Leaders are raising a lot of concern on the slow process," he said.
"Yes, there's been a lot of conversation in the first week but nothing has been done yet."
United Nations Climate Change executive secretary Simon Stiell told parties to "wrap up" less contentious issues soon to make room for the big decisions.
"We can't lose sight of the forest because we're tussling over individual trees," he told leaders on Monday.
William said the Pacific had its red lines that it would not budge on.
"The emphasis here is we need to keep the 1.5C to stay alive because our survival can not be negotiated."
COP29 logo is seen in Baku, Azerbaijan on 17 September 2024. Photo: Jakub Porzycki / NurPhoto via AFP
Senior Policy Advisor at the Pacific Island Climate Action Network, Sindra Sharma said the majority agenda items have been pushed back for next year.
"We're not in a very good place," she said.
Sharma said it's going to be difficult to reach a finance agreement.
"It's going to be a hard lift because there is two sides, with developed countries and developing countries.
"Developed countries aren't keen on providing the money that's necessary and more interested in an investment led approach to the mobilization of this finance."
Sharma said private investment may not be interested in providing the money which is too risky for the Pacific.
At the start of the conference Azerbaijan's President sparked controversy when he called oil and gas "a gift of God".
The hosts of previous COPs such as the last one in the United Arab Emirates have also been accused of obstructing negotiations and giving special treament to fossil fuel executives and lobbyists.
But Fiji's climate chief Sivendra Michael said despite big oil nations hosting the event, if Pacific decided not to go the negotiations would continue.
"We don't see any ethical or moral reason of not attending COPs physically, irrespective of whether it is in a fossil fuel driven country, we have to be in this room because we don't want our voices minimised in any way or in any form."
Papua New Guinea's prime minister James Marape boycotted COP this year in protest over empty promises and inaction but says his country will re-engage in next year's UN climate meeting in Brazil.
