Feature: Ask developed countries to deliver on their promises – a call at the Glasgow Climate Change Conference

Glasgow, England, November 5 (Xinhua) -- Feature: Please let developed countries deliver on their promises – the voice of the Glasgow Climate Change Conference

Xinhua News Agency reporter Xu Feng, Zhang Dailei, Jin Jing

"We have been to many UN climate change conferences, and the leaders of developed countries have always spoken beautifully and done very little!" Outside the venue of the twenty-sixth conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Glasgow, England, a group of protesters from Africa made no secret of their anger.

In the cold winds of Scotland, members of the Pan African Climate Justice Coalition held up placards and chanted slogans outside the venue: "What do we want?" Climate Justice! when? Right now! ”

Charles Nihambra, one of the protesters and observers for the climate conference, told Xinhua that developed countries are the main party responsible for creating the climate crisis, burning large amounts of fossil fuels in the process of industrialization, accumulating huge wealth, and emitting large amounts of greenhouse gases. Therefore, it is incumbent upon developed countries to shoulder more responsibilities in addressing climate change and to help developing countries meet the challenges of climate change.

However, while developed countries have made some climate change commitments, including $100 billion a year to developing countries by 2020, those commitments have not been met.

The placard held up by Nihambra and his companions read: "Who swallowed $100 billion?" ”

"It's not the developed countries giving us money, it's the climate debt they have to pay off." We need support to improve our ability to combat climate change," Nihambra said, "as if we were on the same ship, some on deck, some in the bilge." But if the ship sank, all of us would end up drowning. ”

Nihambra's anger is not difficult to understand. Funding was key to addressing climate change, and the fulfilment of financial commitments by developed countries was an important concern for developing countries. However, the report of international think tanks shows that the total amount of climate funds provided by developed countries every year is not up to standard, but also has problems such as "water mixing" and "making up numbers", and the actual effective funds provided are far lower than the official notification data.

In response, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called out at the Climate Change Conference in Glasgow that the UN Climate Change Conference must be a moment of unity for the whole world. The pledge of $100 billion a year from developed countries to developing countries to address climate change must be met, as it is key to rebuilding mutual trust and restoring credibility.

Federica Bita, co-founder of the Rainforest Nations Alliance, told Xinhua that the failure of developed countries to deliver on their commitments was not only "frustrating" but also undermined the mutual trust needed to build a "genuine cooperative relationship." "Developing countries have come up with commitments and measures to reduce emissions, and developed countries should match their words and deeds in terms of financial support."

Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, who attended the opening of the China Enterprise Pavilion at the conference, also said that countries that have completed industrialization "have an obligation to do more" when it comes to climate action. He urged rich developed countries to honour their pledges of financial assistance to low-income countries as soon as possible to promote political trust.

Nihambra hopes that the voices inside and outside the venue will prompt the developed countries to shoulder their historical responsibilities and fulfill their commitments as soon as possible. Less developed countries and regions are often the most affected by climate change due to lack of financial resources and coping capacity. Many parts of Africa have been affected by extreme weather events such as heavy rains, floods and droughts, resulting in food harvest failures, and some regions are facing humanitarian crises in addition to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We don't need more rhetoric, we need practical action. It's either tomorrow or now! Nihambra said. (End)