EU hypocrisy as climate champion exposed

Stating that polluter nations shop around for new fossil fuels, and block finance for vulnerable communities impacted by climate-induced loss and damage, Climate Action Network (CAN) has claimed that the Bonn Climate Conference showed the disconnect between the negotiation rooms and the reality on the ground.

"Discussions across various issues offered no new breakthroughs - on overall finance, adaptation and emission reduction actions, and this uncertainty and lack of leadership from rich polluters sets up challenges ahead of the G7 summit in two weeks, and in building trust before COP27," a statement from CAN, a consortium of climate activists, think tanks and NGOs, said.

Bonn Climate Conference was looked upon as the go-between for the COP26 and COP27, the last year's and this year's annual climate summit. Amongst the main agenda items - asks for global south – were the finance for loss and damage and enhanced action by the rich nations when it comes to cutting down emissions to keep the overall global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to the historic levels.

Despite their reassurances from COP26 to take finance and addressing loss and damage seriously through the last two weeks, rich countries, particularly the EU, Switzerland and the US, consistently stalled progress on discussions on loss and damage on the Santiago Network on Loss and Damage and on putting loss and damage finance on the formal agenda towards getting an outcome on a loss and damage finance facility from COP27, it alleged.

The stark warnings from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report earlier this year and recent climate catastrophes all around the world seem to have made no dent on the moral and political landscape of historical polluters, the statement said. "While countries such as Germany shop around for new sources of fossil fuels in the context of a brutal war in Ukraine, they refuse to commit to additional and scaled up finance to communities who have done the least to cause this climate crisis and are experiencing unavoidable impacts even at 1.2 degrees Celsius."

However, developing countries stood united in their demand for a loss and damage finance facility and asked for discussions on loss and damage finance to be on the agenda at COP27. Chiara Martinelli, Director, Climate Action Network Europe, said: "People and the planet cannot afford the EU's irresponsibility and lack of ambition that we have witnessed over the last weeks in Bonn and at home. The EU completely misses the point of what it is to be a climate leader. The EU should stop blocking progress on loss and damage and increase finance for adaptation."

Harjeet Singh, senior climate impacts adviser, Climate Action Network International, said: "The last two weeks exposed the EU's hypocritical stance, with major countries such as Germany sourcing new fossil fuels abroad while denying support to developing countries facing devastation from climate-induced super storms and rising seas. If the EU wants to step up as a climate champion it needs to align with the most vulnerable in their fight for justice."