UN chief tells countries to ‘soften hard lines’ amid deadlock in climate talks

Countries indispensable “soften hard lines” to scope a woody connected finance, the United Nations main said arsenic planetary clime talks successful Azerbaijan spell down to the wire.

Speaking astatine Cop29 successful Baku, UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres said “failure is not an option” arsenic countries stay profoundly divided implicit cardinal issues with 1 time near to go.

A large divided among countries cemented connected Thursday aft the merchandise of the latest proposals for a woody connected clime concern for poorer nations to header with impacts from planetary warming and greenish their economies.

I entreaty straight to ministers and negotiators: soften hard lines. Navigate a way done your differences and support your eyes connected the bigger picture. Never hide what is astatine stake

Antonio Guterres, UN secretary-general

Several parties besides condemned the deficiency of item successful the proposals connected transitioning distant from fossil fuels, amid fears that a caller woody could backslide connected past year’s landmark agreement.

Mr Guterres told delegates that helium sensed an “appetite for agreement” arsenic Cop29 goes “now down to the wire”.

“But let’s beryllium frank, galore important differences remain,” helium said.

“We request a large propulsion to get discussions implicit the finishing enactment to present an ambitious and balanced bundle connected each pending issues with a caller concern extremity astatine its heart.”

The UN secretary-general went connected to pass that nonaccomplishment astatine Cop29 could jeopardise nationalist clime enactment plans with “potentially devastating impacts arsenic cosmopolitan tipping points are getting closer”.

As proposals and negotiations stay muddied, Mr Guterres said countries request to find a “clear” statement connected clime finance.

He said: “Amidst geopolitical divisions and uncertainties, the satellite needs countries to travel unneurotic present successful Baku.

“So, I entreaty straight to ministers and negotiators: soften hard lines. Navigate a way done your differences and support your eyes connected the bigger picture.

“Never hide what is astatine stake.”

Negotiations connected Thursday turned to uncovering a landing crushed connected clime concern aft 2 diametrically opposing options for a woody were enactment forward.

On 1 extremity of the spectrum, poorer countries privation to spot affluent nations paying astatine slightest 1 trillion dollars a twelvemonth from 2025 successful forms of concern that would debar saddling them with much debt.

On the other, vague proposals were floated connected richer nations paying trillions successful each forms of concern each twelvemonth by 2035, which apt appeals to immoderate industrialised countries.

Several nations specified arsenic the UK, EU, Australia and New Zealand besides stepped up calls for a caller woody that builds connected past year’s statement to signifier retired fossil fuels – thing which has faced important pushback from lipid affluent nations specified arsenic Saudi Arabia.

Fears implicit backsliding connected the landmark Cop28 statement person been increasing successful caller days aft G20 leaders stopped abbreviated of straight mentioning the contented successful their communique from Brazil, wherever they met earlier this week.

Asked astir what a repetition of this successful the Baku woody would mean for gathering the 2015 Paris Agreement extremity of limiting warming to 1.5C, Mr Guterres said: “There are areas of connection and determination are areas of reality.

“For me, it is wide that subject stresses determination volition beryllium nary mode to scope 1.5C – the bounds of planetary warming – if determination is not a signifier retired of fossil fuels… successful the discourse of a conscionable transition.”

“It is my wide sentiment that the language, immoderate connection is adopted, volition not alteration this reality.”

The UK has agelong been pushing for countries to enactment this landmark Cop28 statement and incorporated it into their nationalist clime enactment plans, different known arsenic Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).

But it stepped up those calls connected Thursday aft the latest proposals were released.

At a property conference, UK clime envoy Rachel Kyte said: “At Cop28, we agreed NDCs should beryllium system wide, 1.5C aligned and screen each greenhouse gasses.

“In the discourse of what we’re doing present astatine Cop29, (it) is important that we cannot descent backmost from this statement and we should collectively hold to determination guardant to enactment connected this agreement.

“We anticipation that different countries, particularly large economies, volition respond to this telephone and we invited the indications from immoderate countries that they are acceptable to bash truthful successful the coming days and months.”

The EU reflected a akin presumption with the European Commissioner for Climate Action, Wopke Hoekstra, saying the existent proposals are “clearly unacceptable”.