Trump stalks global climate talks as COP29 draws near

Author: AFP

The prospect of Donald Trump returning as president is hanging over crucial UN-sponsored climate negotiations, with countries “holding back” their positions until they know who sits in the White House.

Veteran observers of climate diplomacy say uncertainty over the election outcome is stalking this November’s COP29 summit, which starts just six days after voters decide between Trump and Kamala Harris.

The election lands awkwardly as governments try to build global consensus in coming months not just around climate but stronger protections for the environment and a treaty to address plastic pollution.

As president, Trump withdrew the United States from the Paris agreement on global warming — Joe Biden later rejoined the accord — and there are concerns over what his re-election might mean for climate action.

This year’s negotiations hope to increase money for poorer countries to handle climate change, but some governments have not proposed a concrete dollar figure, wary of committing too soon.

“Everybody is holding back until they know who gets elected,” said Mohamed Adow, a campaigner and head of research group Power Shift Africa.

This apparent wait-and-see approach has frustrated those seeking a new long-term commitment at COP29 from rich nations to pay the trillions of dollars needed for clean energy and climate adaptation in developing countries.

Ali Mohamed, chair of the African Group of Negotiators, accused developed countries of navel gazing and displaying “a lack of seriousness” at the bargaining table.

“The climate change situation really doesn’t care about who is at the helm of the US, whether it is a Republican or a Democrat,” he told AFP. “Elections will come and go, but the problem is still there.”

Hedging bets: The months of lead-up sessions to COP29, which is being hosted this year in Azerbaijan, have been painfully slow even by the plodding standards of global climate diplomacy, participants say. With just two months to go, there still isn’t an agreed definition of “climate finance” let alone how much should be paid, which countries should receive it and how, and who should be on the hook for it.