A key negotiator for small island nations on the frontline of global climate breakdown and sea level rise expressed frustration today at an apparent lack of willingness for rich countries to make a bigger commitment to help.
“Across the board, everyone is trying to position themselves to get the best outcome in finance,” Michai Robertson said, suggesting different blocs were using tit-for-tat negotiating tactics in areas such as mitigation, adaptation and transparency.
This would be precisely what the chair of the UN body overseeing the talks urged the previous day, when he warned that such brinksmanship could sink the climate finance deal entirely.
The lead negotiator on finance for the Alliance of Small Islands States (AOSIS) was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the COP29 climate summit in Baku, Azerbaijan.