Azerbaijan, the host country for the next global climate meeting — COP 29 — is asking wealthy nations and fossil fuel companies to contribute to a $1 billion fund that will help poor countries cope with the accumulating horrors of an overheating planet.
Bronwen Tucker said, “Polluters must pay for their climate crimes on the scale of trillions, not with a $1 billion voluntary fund that gives Big Oil decision making powers. Fossil fuel interests have knowingly and systematically blocked, delayed and undermined necessary climate solutions and shouldn’t have a seat at the table.” Azerbaijan has not yet been specific about its own contribution to the fund, though it has pledged to make one.
Why do we even bother with these COP conferences which are themselves little more than greenwashing? After COP28 in Dubai, reaction was, Shannon Osaka said, “The problem with every country’s promise to phase out fossil fuels is that nobody is really planning for a fossil fuel phaseout.