This year's climate talks were a big let-down but not a surprise

The battle for climate protection is mired in short-termism even as time's fast running out for the world to do what it must

- LEENA SRIVASTAVA

The 29th Conference of the Parties to Climate Change (COP) came to an end on 24 November 2024 with deep disappointment on the outcomes—not just on finance, but on most other aspects of the agenda.

This COP was labelled the "finance COP" on the expectation of reviewing the finance goal set 15 years ago at Copenhagen (2009), of raising $100 billion annually by 2020, to create a new target. It is unarguable today that countries, developed ones most disappointingly, are failing to meet their (still modest) greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation targets, thereby sharply increasing their responsibility as well as the vulnerability of developing countries.

As such, with climate impacts moving from scientific papers to palpable reality, an enhanced finance target has become an existential need for several countries. An annual commitment of just $300 billion by 2035 as against an already modest ask of $1.3 trillion is appalling in its insensitivity and injustice.