The inconsistency between words and deeds in developed countries has slowed down the process of climate governance

A few days ago, the 60th Munich Security Conference (hereinafter referred to as the Munich Security Conference) was held in the southern German city of Munich. The Munich Security Report 2024 (hereinafter referred to as the "Report"), released before the opening of this session, highlights the increasing global risks caused by the climate crisis, and the global climate change is breaking through key lines of defense and has an increasing impact on the economy and society.

A number of participants pointed out that the failure of developed countries to fulfill their commitments and obligations, and the distrust of the Global South on climate issues, will inevitably exacerbate global divisions and drag down the process of global climate governance. Developed countries should take the lead as soon as possible, rather than making empty promises.

"Almost all climate problems are caused by rich countries"

The World Meteorological Organization officially confirmed 2023 as the hottest year on record in January, and 2024 could be hotter than 2023. Poorer countries tend to be the ones most affected by climate change.

In this regard, the developed countries have a historical, legal and moral responsibility. According to a study published in the British journal Nature Sustainable Development, about 90% of the world's excess carbon emissions come from developed countries such as the United States. In high-income countries such as the United States and Australia, even the lowest 10 percent of individuals emit six to 15 times more carbon than the poorest 10 percent in India, Brazil, or the ASEAN region.

However, most of the losses and damage caused by climate change are borne by developing countries, resulting in serious climate inequities.

"Almost all climate problems are caused by rich countries. Graham Allison, a professor at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, pointed out that "poor countries are not only not the perpetrators of climate destruction, but are important victims of the climate crisis." ”

Sultan Jaber, President of the 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28), said: "Many vulnerable countries, particularly small island developing States and least developed countries, are already experiencing the consequences of climate change beyond what people can adapt to. ”

"The climate catastrophe caused by industrialization is not a movie, but our real life. "In my hometown, 40 million people depend on the resources of Lake Chad for their lives, livelihoods, livelihoods. Today, 90 per cent of Lake Chad's water resources have been lost, and people are being forced to compete with each other for what little natural resources are left. ”

Many developing countries, including Bangladesh, are among the biggest victims of climate change. "Bangladesh ranks 7th among the world's most climate-vulnerable countries, accounting for only 0.47% of global greenhouse gas emissions," Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said at the meeting. ”

Prime Minister Mottley of Barbados stressed at the meeting that the world's underdeveloped countries are paying a huge price for tackling the climate crisis and are falling into a vicious cycle of inability to repay debts, protect nature or adapt to and reduce emissions.

Developed countries have failed to meet their obligations to take the lead in reducing emissions

The first global stocktake at COP28 shows that the world has made substantial progress towards achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement, but there is still a gap between them and the targets, and the failure of developed countries to meet their obligations to take the lead in reducing emissions and failing to fulfill their commitments to provide financial and technical support to developing countries is an important reason.

According to the principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities" of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and its Paris Agreement, developed countries with large emissions must act first to reduce their emissions rapidly, and richer countries should provide developing countries with climate change finance.

However, in the current process of global climate governance, many concerns of developing countries have not been fully addressed and addressed.

In the area of emission reduction, according to the latest greenhouse gas inventory notified by developed countries in April 2022, as of 2020, more than half of developed country Parties are still far from achieving their 2020 emission reduction targets, some countries have only completed half of their pledged emission reduction targets, and some countries have not only failed to achieve emission reductions, but also experienced significant increases in greenhouse gas emissions.

For countries with low emissions and high vulnerability to climate impacts, adaptation to climate change is a top priority. For a long time, the progress of global adaptation to climate change has lagged behind, the adaptation goals are still unclear, developed countries have not provided adequate and effective support, and climate change has become increasingly severe, further exacerbating the vulnerability of developing countries.

The UNEP's Adaptation Gap Report 2023, released last November, pointed out that the current financing raised by developed countries is far from enough to help developing countries adapt to climate change, and is estimated to be only one-tenth to one-eighteenth of the adaptation finance needed by developing countries.

In addition, in the area of means and support, the support provided by developed countries is very limited and there are many problems. Among them, the issue of finance is the biggest obstacle to the corresponding actions of developing countries. At the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, developed countries, which bear historical responsibility for global climate change, pledged to provide $100 billion a year in climate finance to developing countries by 2020, but this has not yet been fulfilled.

In terms of the global green energy transition, renewable energy investment and development opportunities in low-income countries have not received enough attention for a long time. The report points out that despite the huge potential of African countries to develop renewable energy, investment in African countries is still meagre. For example, the African continent has 60% of the world's best solar resources, but only 1% of installed solar capacity.

Implementing action can make or break the multilateral process on climate

The long-term failure of developed countries to meet their commitments and the fact that they have taken little concrete action to fulfill their climate responsibilities and obligations have undermined confidence in achieving climate goals, weakened mutual trust between developed and developing countries, exacerbated the North-South divide, and slowed down action on global climate change.

"So far, the practical actions taken by developed countries to address global climate change are far from enough. Tate Neila-Laurent, advisor to the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation in Germany, noted.

According to a recent research report jointly released by European think tanks such as the Dutch "Transnational Institute", "Climate Crossfire: How NATO's Goal of Raising Military Spending to 2% of GDP Will Accelerate Climate Breakdown", Western countries, which bear the greatest responsibility for the climate crisis, have not only failed to fulfill their financial commitments to aid developing countries, but are greatly increasing the carbon emissions of military operations through increasing military spending. According to the report, global military spending has reached a record $2.24 trillion, more than half of which comes from NATO, which has 31 member states.

In the face of the increasingly pressing global climate challenge, no country is immune. Jennifer Morgan, State Secretary and Special Representative for International Climate Policy at the German Foreign Office, said at a side event on the sidelines of the MMUAN that if action is not taken, everyone will bear the negative consequences, and that to avoid this, global cooperation must be strengthened.

"For the developed countries that have historically emitted the most greenhouse gases globally, it is important to ensure that they can move quickly and take the lead. Former Spanish Foreign Minister González stressed that developed countries must provide funds for developing countries to adapt to climate change as soon as possible.

The international community has called on developed countries to respond to climate change responsibly, adopt a positive and pragmatic attitude, take the lead in reducing emissions, fulfill their climate finance commitments as soon as possible, and clarify a roadmap for doubling adaptation finance. What is at stake is climate justice, North-South trust, and the future of humanity.