The moods are mixed, the views of the countries are “really far from each other” and Azerbaijan, which is leading the meeting, is not even promoting the most important issue, curbing climate emissions.
This is how Finnish negotiators describe the impasse at the UN climate conference in Baku, Azerbaijan.
The last, crucial week of the meeting is about to begin, when the ministers of the countries committed to the Paris climate agreement will arrive, with a few exceptions. So far, all countries in the world have committed to the agreement.
The main issues should be ready at this stage of the meeting, so that political decision-makers can make decisions on them when they arrive. In Baku, almost all the most important points are still open.
– The negotiations are moving to the second week and to the ministerial level without progress on the key issues for the EU of the meeting. [—] Almost all issues to be decided are open, and the views of the countries are far from each other, the negotiation team’s report says.
Azerbaijan’s Aliyev criticizes the EU
The actions of Azerbaijan, the country holding the presidency, are especially cause for concern.
– Regarding the curbing of emissions, the worrying thing is that the COP29 president shows no willingness to promote the issue on any negotiation track, and especially Saudi Arabia is systematically stalling even a small amount of progress, the report says.
Azerbaijan took the attention already last week when the president Ilham Aliyev directly criticized the EU, the United States and the Western media in his opening speech. The speech was exceptional on the main stage of climate diplomacy between the countries, and especially because it was delivered by the country piloting the entire meeting.
See in the video how Aliyev accuses the EU of fossil dependency:
Aliyev also spoke of oil and gas as a “gift from God” at the climate conference, where the fossil fuel agreement created in Dubai last year should be put into practice. He later accused France and the Netherlands of colonialism, after which the French minister canceled his visit to Baku.
In addition, almost all the leaders of the world’s richest G20 countries skipped the climate summit because of the summit in Brazil. President of the EU Commission Ursula is der Leyen again missed out as a result of Parliament’s rush.
– This was a big disappointment for Aliyev, which must have contributed to his outbursts also in this global arena, the report interprets.
The meeting also saw a walkout, when the Argentine negotiators packed their bags and left the place the president Javier Milein at the behest of. He is known, among other things, for his climate denialism.
From the beginning, the meeting has also been overshadowed by the intention of the United States to withdraw from the entire Paris climate agreement Donald Trump’s by choice.
Saudi Arabia revels in the style of “my way or highway”
EU chief negotiator Outi Honkatuk describes the first meeting week as bad for . In the conference rooms, however, one country in particular has hindered the progress of the negotiations.
– Saudi Arabia can do whatever they want. It refuses all constructive suggestions. You can’t negotiate with someone who doesn’t want to look at any proposal other than their own. They have the “my way or highway” attitude.
According to Honkatukia, negotiations regarding reducing emissions in particular are stalling. Baku should decide on the means by which last year’s decision to break away from fossil fuels will be put into practice. The agreement of the Dubai meeting was celebrated as historic.
– It remained at the level of recording. The Arab group’s interpretation is that the entry is a “menu of options”, meaning you could choose what you want to do from there.
Another big thing is climate finance, which poor countries need to transition to clean energy.
reported last week that China and the G77 group of developing countries put together a blunt proposal according to which Western countries should pay up to 1.3 thousand billion euros in climate money per year. Until now, the goal has been 100 billion per year.
25 page jumble
According to Honkatukia, the same amount is still on the table in the form of a “25-page mess”, i.e. a presentation, and neither China nor the rich oil countries still want to participate in giving the money. Expanding the group of financiers has been a threshold issue for the EU.
According to Honkatuk, in addition to funding, China and its partners want gift money dug from public funds. In the EU’s opinion, in addition to wealthy developing countries, private money flows should also be included in the financing.
So far, the negotiation positions have not moved.
– Nothing has been received. The G77 countries start from the fact that all discussion about expanding the group of financiers is not part of the mandate, i.e. it should not be discussed.
In other words, is the meeting becoming a pancake, like the Copenhagen climate meeting in the past? At that time, the climate agreement was not concluded, partly due to the incompetence of the Danish presidency.
– This was a leap into the unknown. Before Azerbaijan became chairman, none of us had ever met any Azerbaijani negotiator. They have had a steep learning curve, Honkatukia formulates.
He says that the possibility of a “decent” outcome still exists in Baku. In the EU’s opinion, it would be such that there would be a “reasonable” decision on the new funding target and some recording on the reduction of emissions.