Negotiators are Urged to Get Down to Business as Climate talks in Baku Enter Second Week
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By Sibi Arasu, Melina Walling and Seth Borenstein.
United Nations climate talks resumed Monday with negotiators urged to make progress on a stalled-out deal that could see developing countries get more money to spend on clean energy and adapting to climate-charged weather extremes.
U.N. Climate Change executive secretary Simon Stiell called for countries to “cut the theatrics and get down to real business.”
“We will only get the job done if Parties are prepared to step forward in parallel, bringing us closer to common ground,” Stiell said to a room of delegates in Baku, Azerbaijan. “I know we can get this done.”
Climate and environment ministers from around the world have arrived at the summit to help push the talks forward.
“Politicians have the power to reach a fair and ambitious deal,” said COP29 President Mukhtar Babayev at a press conference at the venue. “They must deliver and engage immediately and constructively.”
Climate cash is still a sticking point
Talks in Baku are focused on getting more climate cash for developing countries to transition away from fossil fuels, adapt to climate change and pay for damages caused by extreme weather. But countries are far apart on how much money that will require.
A group of developing nations last week put the sum at $1.3 trillion, while rich countries are yet to name a figure. Several experts estimated that the money needed for climate finance is around $1 trillion.
“We all know it is never easy in politics and in international politics to talk about money, but the cost of action today is, as a matter of fact, much lower than the cost of inaction,” said Wopke Hoekstra, the EU climate commissioner at press conference.
“We will continue to lead to do our fair share and even more than our fair share, as we’ve always done,” he said.
read more at apnews.com.
