^{Contributed by Joe Montero}

The COP29 climate talks underway in Azerbaijan involve nearly 200 governments. Now well into the second week of a fortnight of talks, the summit has produced extraordinarily little. Instead of serious discussion on practical measures to increase the reduction of carbon emission, the emphasis has been on a series of diversions, which seek to turn attention away from the real issues.

Developed western nations have been the main obstacle. They seek to avoid responsibility by shifting it to China and India, who they claim are the main polluters. What is ignored that these are the most populous nations by far, and that on a per capita basis, their emissions are far less than the west’s developed nations.

Photo by Peter Dejong/AP: An activist participates in a demonstration calling for climate finance during Cop29. Poorer counties are entitled to get help

The reason why a per capita measurement is important is that the responsibility is a globally shared one inn terms of global population. A fair distribution of the cost is not possible otherwise. This especially hits developing nations prone to be agriculture based rather than manufacturing. Their per capita carbon footprint is far less than industrialised nations with much smaller populations.

Australia is a good example. We can be presented as a low emitter on the crude measurement. According to the cumulative emission measure of the Global Carbon Budget (2024), China accounts for only 15.1, compared to 23.8 for the United States and 16.5 for the European Union. India’s share is only 3.5 percent. On a per capita measurement, Australia ranks near the top and therefore has a far greater responsibility to act on reduction. Neglecting both measures protects the biggest polluters and diverts the burden to others.

Furthermore, China leads in investing in green technology and clean energy production. And this is the stimulus for this nation’s economic growth.

The Paris Agreement signed in 2015 promised poorer nations financial assistance to help them cope with change and ensure food security. Nearly a decade later, almost nothing has been done. Cop29 is avoiding this matter again.

Meanwhile, the west has progressively downgraded its own response to climate action. It’s hardly talked about domestically. Climate talks are hardly ever commented on. In Paris, the agreed target was to keep global warming under 1.5 Centigrade. This possibility has now been lost, and the new target is between 2 and 3 Centigrade. Failure here will soon mean that the possibility of achieving this new target will this target will soon be lost. As well.

Australia has now pledged an extra $A50 million towards a global loss and damage fund. This is far too little. The announcement of a new emissions reduction target has been delayed.  Why? Especially when the Australian Climate Change Authority announced earlier this year that a cut of up to 75% below 2005 levels by 2035 is possible. Environment Minister David Bowen’s claim that Australia is “accelerating our transformation” is so far false. This is in line with much of the western world. A key obstacle is the ongoing expansion of coal and gas production.

The British government has announced an ambitious 81 percent cut its own emissions by 2035. The problem here is that there is no explanation on how this will be achieved.

Finance and its role remained at the centre stage of the talks. The West’s attitude that this is reliance on market solutions and minimal direct government action has hardened. Private banks and other financial institutions owned and controlled by the west will be assisted to invest in new technologies and methods where it is profitable to do so, rather than where the effect will be best. Poorer countries will be offered loans and burdened with a debt they can’t afford.

Aidwithout debt is an important part of guaranteeing global action on climate and the United States and European Union dragging their feet on such aid is the barriers against realising this. A pity they don’t take the same approach to funding war and weapons, which are currently a significant source of pollution.

COPT 29 is shaping up to be a non-event. Don’t expect too much when the final resolution is released on Sunday. The climate crisis will still be with us. The solution will have to be found elsewhere. Our future depends on this.