Wisdom without action on climate finance useless – Shifeta

Environment minister Pohamba Shifeta has expressed his frustration with developed countries’ failure to fulfil their financial commitments to developing countries on climate change.

The minister of environment, forestry and tourism says this is despite these countries’ historical responsibility for the crisis.

Shifeta said this at the sixth high-level ministerial dialogue on climate finance held at the two-week 29th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Thursday.

“It is astonishing and disappointing to hear that those who have caused global warming are refusing to provide adequate and predictable finance to developing countries to address global climate challenges,” he said.

Shifeta said the developing world is asking the developed world to honour its commitments under the UNFCCC and its Paris Agreement on Climate Change, as these are the only international instruments “which keeps the world together for the common purpose of realising a green future”.

“We cannot repeat ourselves for the call of a flow of US$100 billion per annum as a new collective quantified goal time and again. This is abnormal. The developed world must be honest about this process . . .

“What is the use of us coming to these COPs every year just to repeat the same stories without action, and expect a reduction in global warming?” Shifeta asked.

He said developing countries have been consistently clear that climate finance must be delivered on a polluter-pay principle.

“Perhaps there are some conspiracies that are only known to our negotiating partners that are hidden from us as the developing world.

“Namibia strongly seeks honest engagement with the developed world on climate financing commitments as provided for in the Paris Agreement.

“Wisdom without action is useless. I respectfully submit that, this is the time we have to act and act accordingly here in Baku to deliver on an ambitious climate finance goal,” Shifeta said