COP29: Oxfordshire activist says ‘we need to act now’
A climate activist from Oxfordshire says more needs to be done sooner
An environment activist from Oxfordshire is concerned that not enough is being done to tackle climate change as countries fail to meet emissions targets.
It's as COP29 is coming to a close today in Azerbaijan, where countries are in disagreement over how much should be paid to poorer countries to cope with climate change, who should contribute and on what timeframe.
“We need to act now”
Chris Church is from Oxford Friends of the Earth, he said: “There’s some concern that things are actually slipping backwards and I think that’s down to three of four nations, especially the oil producing nations, who are looking to their own short-term profits rather that the future of the planet as a whole.
“It’s a matter of political will and putting money on the table. There’s been some progress at Cop but there’s been no evidence of a strong financial deal and no real commitment to cutting emissions as fast as we need.
“We’re facing a global crisis; we know that millions of people will be having to leave their homes over the next decade in other parts of the world. Those kinds of issues are real, it may not be obvious to us in Oxfordshire, but we see things like the flooding in Valencia. So, we need to act now.”
What’s going on at COP29?
The UN climate summit is set to go into overtime as negotiations to reach a deal on climate finance and emissions stalled on the final day.
UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband told a plenary meeting on Thursday that proposals in the current draft "in no way adequately reflect the burden on us all" to deliver ambitious new climate action plans and meet international goals to limit global warming.
He said neither option on finance covered what was needed to reach a "common-ground, ambitious, deliverable goal which will make a genuine difference to the needs and interest of developing countries".
"There are clearly wide differences between parties remaining, but we know that we cannot afford to fail at this Cop," he said.
"We must bridge those differences and for our part in the UK we stand ready to do that."
"Failure is not an option"
Speaking at the summit, UN secretary-general, Antonio Guterres said "failure is not an option" as the deadlock continued.
He told delegates he sensed an "appetite for agreement" as Cop29 goes "now down to the wire".
"But let's be frank, many substantial differences remain," he said.
"We need a major push to get discussions over the finishing line to deliver an ambitious and balanced package on all pending issues with a new finance goal at its heart."