Nov 20, 2024 08:09 PM
COP29 update: A climate of failure
https://www.splinter.com/cop29-update-a-...of-failure
EXCERPTS: With a few days left in basically any of the 28 previous U.N. climate talks, the eventual agreement that emerged would have been tough to make out. [...] That’s the good news as COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan enters its home stretch. The bad news is basically everything else.
“There’s a lot of frustration in the room,” said one NGO observer, according to The Guardian. “There’s a lot of anxiety.”
The COP’s primary goal is to establish a new benchmark for climate finance, the very high number of dollars that rich countries should be sending to the developing world to manage a warming world. The generally agreed upon range from the recipients is north of $1 trillion per year by 2030; the generally agreed upon answer from the donors is “Hm, maybe not.”
[...] This is bleak as hell! With a few days still to go, it is of course possible — likely, even — that some text emerges from the negotiations that all 198 countries (minus a couple that have sat this one out or sent their delegates home) can agree on. As is the case with any multilateral process, a successful outcome is one that leaves virtually everyone a little bit unsatisfied; but this is life-and-death shit for millions of people and, eventually, entire countries. The apparent willingness to somehow move backward, even three decades into this process, is just impossibly grim... (MORE - missing details)
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Parody Alcove: This has always been markedly driven by the moral image rewards that climate change offers for the career aspirations of government officials and politicians. If the harvest of sainthood points begins dipping due to cycles of public apathy and unrest, then so does the enthusiasm in negotiations. Right now, there is "fossil fuel nostalgia" in Europe as the pains of the energy transition intensify:
https://www.splinter.com/cop29-update-a-...of-failure
EXCERPTS: With a few days left in basically any of the 28 previous U.N. climate talks, the eventual agreement that emerged would have been tough to make out. [...] That’s the good news as COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan enters its home stretch. The bad news is basically everything else.
“There’s a lot of frustration in the room,” said one NGO observer, according to The Guardian. “There’s a lot of anxiety.”
The COP’s primary goal is to establish a new benchmark for climate finance, the very high number of dollars that rich countries should be sending to the developing world to manage a warming world. The generally agreed upon range from the recipients is north of $1 trillion per year by 2030; the generally agreed upon answer from the donors is “Hm, maybe not.”
[...] This is bleak as hell! With a few days still to go, it is of course possible — likely, even — that some text emerges from the negotiations that all 198 countries (minus a couple that have sat this one out or sent their delegates home) can agree on. As is the case with any multilateral process, a successful outcome is one that leaves virtually everyone a little bit unsatisfied; but this is life-and-death shit for millions of people and, eventually, entire countries. The apparent willingness to somehow move backward, even three decades into this process, is just impossibly grim... (MORE - missing details)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Parody Alcove: This has always been markedly driven by the moral image rewards that climate change offers for the career aspirations of government officials and politicians. If the harvest of sainthood points begins dipping due to cycles of public apathy and unrest, then so does the enthusiasm in negotiations. Right now, there is "fossil fuel nostalgia" in Europe as the pains of the energy transition intensify:
Europe's economic woes may worsen as key power prices rise: "...total electricity generation remains below 2022 levels, as several countries have struggled to replace all the lost fossil fuel output with generation from clean power. [...] Output of manufactured products has also been affected, with production of turbines and engines holding around 30% below the previous output peak. [...] Going forward, however, many of Europe's major industrial segments are under pressure to ramp up activity, especially from local governments who are keen to avoid further job losses and to boost tax receipts."