Developing countries demanded new financial help from wealthy nations in their uphill fight against the climate crisis during a summit in New York at which UN Secretary-General António Guterres said they had “every right to be angry”.
Guterres told the one-day Climate Ambition Summit at UN headquarters that poorer countries had done the least to cause global warming but were bearing the brunt of its impacts, from more droughts and heatwaves to storms and wildfires.
“Many of the poorest nations have every right to be angry,” he said. “Angry that they are suffering most from a climate crisis they did nothing to create. Angry that promised finance has not materialised.” “And angry that their borrowing costs are sky-high,” the UN chief added. We need a transformation to rebuild trust.”
The summit is intended to build momentum on climate action before the COP28 annual UN climate talks in Dubai, starting in late November.
Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa, prime minister of Samoa and chair of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), noted that inhabitants of Pacific island nations like Tuvalu and Kiribati are already being forced to relocate due to rising sea levels.
“In short, I stand here to ensure that all people of small island developing states know that their voices are being heard on the world stage,” she said. “And we will not stop fighting for their right to remain on the lands in which the legacies of their ancestors are rooted. The lands we have every obligation to protect.” She touted solutions smaller countries are putting forward, like a marine sanctuary in Palau.
“Many small islands are leading the way in driving forward renewable energy initiatives, as well as making concerted adaption efforts to combat erosion and sea level rise and address water and agricultural challenges,” she said.
Lidy Nacpil, coordinator of the Asian Peoples’ Movement on Debt and Development, said wealthy governments are nowhere near close to doing enough for the developing world. “We, the people of the Global South, are not asking for assistance,” she told the summit.
“Climate finance is an obligation and part of reparations for historical and continuing harms and injustices.”
Developed countries have to date famously lagged on a prior pledge to contribute $100 billion in annual climate financing for vulnerable nations starting from 2020 – with especially paltry sums available for adapting to climate change impacts.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said developed economies “in particular must act with urgency to accelerate the reduction of emissions and fulfil their obligations and honor past promises.
Source: SABC
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