KATIMA MULILO – Environment minister Pohamba Shifeta expressed disappointment in developed nations for their unwillingness to provide adequate funding towards climate change.
He said developing nations, who bear little responsibility for fuelling climate change, continue to be at risk of suffering crippling losses and damages as the temperatures rise.
Shifeta touched on the climate funding deficit at the sixth high-level ministerial dialogue on climate change this week in Baku, Azerbaijan in preparation for COP29.
“We came here to Baku with the understanding that COP29 is a climate finance COP. However, it is quite astonishing and very disappointing to hear that those who caused global warming are refusing to provide adequate and predictable finance to developing countries to address the global climate challenges they have caused. There is no need to beg, but we are simply asking the developed world to honour its commitments under the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement,” he said.
Therefore, Namibia strongly seeks honest engagement with the developed world on climate financing commitments, as provided for in the Paris Agreement.
In particular, Shifeta is pushing to ensure wealthy nations deliver on the long-standing and unfulfilled pledge of about US$100 billion to the Green Climate Fund.
“We cannot repeat ourselves for a call of a flow of US$100 billion per annum as a New Collective Quantified Goal, time and again. This is abnormal. The developed world must be honest to this process. I unreservedly agree with some previous speakers here calling for climate finance, US$100 billion per annum is just 0,1% of the global GDP. This is a very little amount to save planet Earth indeed,” the minister hit back.
At the 15th Conference of Parties (COP15) of the UNFCCC in Copenhagen in 2009, developed countries committed to a collective goal of mobilising US$100 billion per year by 2020 for climate action in developing countries, in the context of meaningful mitigation actions and transparency on implementation.
The goal was formalised at COP16 in Cancun, and at COP21 in Paris, it was reiterated and extended to 2025.
Shifeta reminded wealthy nations that scientific reports are clear on what needs to be done, and the associated costs.
“As leaders, we have to be bold and clear to the world on where we stand on climate finance. What is the use of us coming to these COPs every year, just to repeat the same stories that we said before without action, and expect a reduction on global warming?” Shifeta asked.
He said as developing countries, they have been consistently unequivocal and factual that climate finance must be delivered on a polluter-pay principle, taking into account historical responsibilities to emissions.
Therefore, he stressed they maintain a narrative that there should be an allocative balance in climate finance between mitigation and adaptation.
Significant financial resources shall be grants, as opposed to concessional climate finance. He said the world knows that climate finance is fundamental for the pathways towards a greener future, yet they are delaying to deliver on this.
“Perhaps there are some conspiracies that are only known to our negotiating partners that are hidden from us, the developing world.
Wisdom without action is useless. I respectfully submit that this is the time we have to act, and act accordingly here in Baku to deliver on an ambitious climate finance goal,” Shifeta said.
-anakale@nepc.com.na