At the close of week 1 in Belém, finance tensions from Baku are still casting a long shadow over COP30, says Mohamed Adow, Director, Power Shift Africa
COP30 is still recovering from a Baku hangover. Countries are grappling with the results of a very weak long-term finance agreement last year which was extremely vague in terms confirming the level of public, grant based climate finance. Had we got a strong public, grant-based, finance commitment in Baku, agreeing on the Global Goal on Adaptation in Belem would have been straightforward.
The lack of definition on public money last year is the reason developing countries are so passionate about formalising Article 9.1 of the Paris Agreement, which states that rich nations are responsible for providing climate finance. There’s such a big need for public adaptation funding, given the huge debt burden developing countries are facing. That is why Article 9.1 has become a rallying call for the global south.
Global Goal on Adaptation indicators
The adaptation indicators being discussed here at COP30 are important. If done well, they will give us a common language to assess progress towards targets in vital sectors such as water access, food systems, health infrastructure, biodiversity and livelihoods. Having a clear picture on how adaptation measures impact on macroeconomic stability and development outcomes is certainly helpful when it comes to developing policies and tracking progress.
But measurements must not be confused with delivery. Coming from a pastoralist community, I know that however many times you weigh a cow, it doesn’t make it any fatter. So before we rush to lock in indicators here, vulnerable countries need to actually receive the means to adapt, in the form of adaptation finance. Pretending we’re making progress by agreeing on a measurement system might ultimately turn into a distraction from actually securing adaptation finance, which has been sorely lacking for many years.
The world is expectant
We are back in Brazil, where the Rio Earth Summit kicked off the UN climate process more than 30 years ago. It’s 20 years since the Kyoto Protocol and 10 years since the Paris Agreement. The world expects a strong outcome from Belem.
Cover text inevitable
It’s becoming clear that the COP30 Presidency will not be able to escape having a cover decision. The quicker they realise that and create formal space in the negotiations for it to be debated, the better for everyone.