Durban talks fail on urgent issues

Durban, 16:45, 9 December 2011

As negotiations on the final outcome of the UN climate talks look set to continue late into the night, negotiators remain focused on the EU’s proposed roadmap to replace the Kyoto Protocol with a package that makes the same demands of poor developing countries as it does of rich industrialised countries. The talks have paid almost no attention to the two most urgent issues for developing countries: emissions reductions by developed countries, and finance to help people in poor countries cope with climate change.

On the last day of the talks, Murray Worthy, policy officer at the World Development Movement said:

“The UK and EU’s talk of a new global deal is little more than a distraction from their inaction. The EU is failing to take responsibility for its part in causing climate change.  It should be taking the lead through meaningful action. Instead, the EU ‘roadmap’ has been a smokescreen for developed countries’ failure to do what is needed. It is the world’s poorest people, those least responsible for this crisis, who will end up paying the highest price.”

The talks look set to result in a new Green Climate Fund to deliver finance to developing countries. But the World Development Movement believes the fund is unlikely to be effective due to its focus on the private sector and proposals for the fund to be initially housed in the Global Environment Facility, a fund originally founded by, and with close ties to, the World Bank.

Murray Worthy continued: “As we near the end of the talks, concerns remain that despite united opposition from developing countries the new Green Climate Fund could start its life in an institution closely tied to the World Bank, which is widely discredited for its disastrous projects and damaging economic policies. Worse still, the new fund is set to directly finance multinational corporations, meaning it will fail to meet the needs of communities most affected by climate change.”