London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Jun 02, 2025

UN Chief Urges Nations To Stop 'Blame Games' At Climate Summit

UN Chief Urges Nations To Stop 'Blame Games' At Climate Summit

Guterres made his plea as nations were deadlocked over the contentious issue of creating a "loss and damage" fund, with one day left before the COP27 conference is scheduled to end.
UN chief Antonio Guterres urged rich and developing nations to stop the "finger pointing" at crunch climate talks on Thursday and reach a deal on covering the losses suffered by vulnerable nations battered by weather disasters.

With the two-week COP27 conference officially due to wrap up on Friday, negotiators in Egypt said the talks would likely go on overnight as they scramble to find a compromise over the contentious "loss and damage" issue.

Guterres said there was "clearly a breakdown in trust" between developed and emerging economies, adding that the most effective way to build confidence would be to find an "ambitious and credible agreement" on loss and damage and financial support for vulnerable countries.

"This is no time for finger pointing. The blame game is a recipe for mutually assured destruction," he said.

"The time for talking on loss and damage finance is over -- we need action," he said, after flying back to Egypt from Bali where he had attended a G20 leaders meeting.

The intervention from the UN chief comes as the climate talks teeter on the edge of failure as poorer countries least responsible for global emissions lock horns with rich polluters over the creation of a "loss and damage" fund.

Ralph Regenvanu, minister of climate change for the Pacific island of Vanuatu, said walking out of the talks "was discussed as an option" if developing nations come away empty handed.

"We are out of time and we are out of money and we are out of patience," he said at a news conference.

"We must establish at this COP27 a loss and damage finance facility."

A 130-nation group known as G77+China issued a proposal to create the fund at the COP27 and agree on the nitty-gritty details at the next UN talks in Dubai in 2023.

After dragging their feet over loss and damage, the United States and European Union somewhat softened their position by agreeing to discuss the issue at COP27.

European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans said the EU was open to the creation of a funding facility but that it should be among a "mosaic" of options that include existing financial instruments.

"We will do everything to find consensus," he said, adding however that he expects "quite a long and difficult journey to the end of this process".

"If this COP fails we all lose and we have absolutely no time to lose," he told journalists.

Protests held within the conference compound have sought to keep up the pressure on delegates, with small but vocal crowds of demonstrators chanting: "What do we want? Climate justice!"

China's role

Timmermans took issue with the G77+China proposal as it limits the donor base for a fund to a list of two-dozen rich nations drawn up in 1992.

The top EU official has pointed out that some countries, notably China, would be left "off the hook" from contributing to the fund even though they have grown wealthier since 1992.

"I'm still hopeful that we can reach an agreement on this, but then I do ask of our partners to make sure that it's fair so that everybody who is in a position to contribute contributes," Timmermans said.

Pakistan's climate minister Sherry Rehman, whose country chairs the G77+China, said the group was still "seeking to find common ground even at this late hour".

Rehman suggested that concerns from rich countries about liability could be addressed.

"For countries worried or anxious about liabilities and judicial proceedings, I think we can work around all those anxieties," she said.

Rehman recalled that Pakistan was devastated by floods this year that cost the country $30 billion.

"Vulnerability should not become a death sentence," she said.

"We are the ground zero of climate change," she added. "We must convey a message of hope to all those people that have pinned their ambitions on this particular COP."

Make-or-break

Guterres called for progress across the board on the goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to preindustrial levels.

Rich nations should also finally deliver on their unmet pledge to provide $100 billion a year since 2020 to help the developing world green their economies and adapt to future impacts, and make progress on future financing.

Observers at the talks said loss and damage could be make-or-break for COP27.

"This is the issue around which the entire (COP)27 package hinges," said Tom Evans, an expert on climate diplomacy at think tank E3G.

Laurence Tubiana, a main architect of the 2015 Paris Agreement as France's top negotiator, told AFP a "possible landing zone for a compromise is not yet in view."

"Things could really go off the rails at the end."
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Ukraine Executes Long-Range Drone Strikes on Russian Airbases
Conservative Karol Nawrocki wins Poland’s presidential election
Study Identifies Potential Radicalization Risk Among Over One Million Muslims in Germany
Good news: Annalena Baerbock Elected President of the UN General Assembly
Apple Appeals EU Law Over User Data Sharing Requirements
South Africa: "First Black Bank" Collapses after Being Looted by Owners
Poland will now withdraw from the EU migration pact after pro-Trump nationalist wins Election
"That's Disgusting, Don’t Say It Again": The Trump Joke That Made the President Boil
Trump Cancels NASA Nominee Over Democratic Donations
Paris Saint-Germain's Greatest Triumph Is Football’s Lowest Point
OnlyFans for Sale: From Lockdown Lifeline to Eight-Billion-Dollar Empire
Mayor’s Security Officer Implicated | Shocking New Details Emerge in NYC Kidnapping Case
Hegseth Warns of Potential Chinese Military Action Against Taiwan
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Jamie Dimon Warns U.S. Bond Market Faces Pressure from Rising Debt
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Taylor Swift Gains Ownership of Her First Six Albums
Bangkok Ranked World's Top City for Remote Work in 2025
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
U.S. Justice Department Reduces American Bar Association's Role in Judicial Nominations
U.S. Department of Energy Unveils 'Doudna' Supercomputer to Advance AI Research
U.S. SEC Dismisses Lawsuit Against Binance Amid Regulatory Shift
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
Italy Faces Population Decline Amid Youth Emigration
U.S. Goods Imports Plunge Nearly 20% Amid Tariff Disruptions
OpenAI Faces Competition from Cheaper AI Rivals
Foreign Tax Provision in U.S. Budget Bill Alarms Investors
Trump Accuses China of Violating Trade Agreement
Gerry Adams Wins Libel Case Against BBC
Russia Accuses Serbia of Supplying Arms to Ukraine
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
Chinese Woman Dies After Being Forced to Visit Bank Despite Critical Illness
President Trump Grants Full Pardons to Reality TV Stars Todd and Julie Chrisley
Texas Enacts App Store Accountability Act Mandating Age Verification
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Vatican Calls for Sustainable Tourism in 2025 Message
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
×