Final COP text “a complete catastrophe” as new climate goal falls far short of trillions needed
Commenting on the final COP29 NCQG text, Zahra Hdidou, Senior Climate Resilience Specialist at ActionAid UK, said: “There’s no sugarcoating it: this text is a complete catastrophe and a farce. With floods and droughts tearing through the Global South, the goal announced remains a drop in the ocean compared to the trillions needed to help climate-hit communities adapt and recover, especially women and girls who are among the worst impacted.
This failure is laid bare by the UK's attempts to put a shine on a terrible deal – a far cry from its lofty claims of putting climate change at the heart of foreign policy only months ago. The $300 billion boils down to mere peanuts in actual grant-based financing for those most impacted, while absolving the richest countries of their fair share— piling even more debt onto climate-affected countries. This isn’t just a shortfall; it’s a betrayal of the Paris Agreement and the Global South it promised to support in confronting the climate crisis. Our fight to make the wealthiest pay up is far from over."
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Contact the ActionAid press office on charlie.ensor@actionaid.org or on 07804494771.
Zahra is available for interview on request. Please contact the press office to arrange.