Action urged ahead of UN climate meeting

With this year's United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP30, set to open next month in Brazil, South Africa is calling for an action-focused summit with clear commitments from developed countries on loss and damage.

"COP30 is where findings must be translated into action," said Dion George, South African minister of forestry, fisheries and the environment. "The operationalization of the loss and damage fund must be completed. It must be capitalized, accessible and responsive to the needs of vulnerable nations, particularly in Africa."

Technical and capacity-building support must accompany the fund, enabling developing countries to avert and address loss and damage effectively, George said.

South African negotiators would work closely with the African group of negotiators to ensure the continent's special needs and circumstances are recognized, he said.

Africa will continue to advocate the acknowledgment of its limited historical responsibility for greenhouse gas emissions, while urging tailored support for adaptation and just transitions, aligned with the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, he said.

In 2009, developed countries pledged to provide $100 billion per year in climate finance to developing countries. A New Collective Quantified Goal on climate finance, targeting $300 billion annually for developing countries' climate action by 2035, was adopted at last year's UN Climate Change Conference, or COP29, in Azerbaijan. The commitment was accompanied by the establishment of the Baku to Belem Roadmap, which aims to foster international cooperation to significantly increase financial support for developing countries.

"Climate finance remains central to meaningful action," George said. "The New Collective Quantified Goal … and the Baku to Belem Roadmap … must be turned into reality."

The COP29 and COP30 presidencies are expected to present a well-consulted plan that addresses the barriers faced by developing economies in accessing climate finance, he said.

Need for clarity

Dorah Modise, executive director of South Africa's Presidential Climate Commission, welcomed the establishment of the loss and damage fund.

However, Modise emphasized the need for clarity on the amount of funding available and how it will be disbursed.

"COP30 is a pivotal moment that should demonstrate that multilateralism works in addressing global challenges like climate change. The Global South should not be subjected to a greater debt burden with loans," she said.

"We want to see more grants and concessional loans to address damage to infrastructure as a result of climate change. They must be accessible, simple and localized."

Countries must commit to decarbonization in ways that align with their development goals, she said. South Africa, for example, will ensure that decarbonization aligns with its developmental aspirations, such as economic growth and job creation, she said.

Intra-African collaboration and South-South partnerships are critical, she added.

"We are working with China, India and Brazil to address climate change. These are developing countries that are carbon-intensive but are doing a lot in terms of responses."

While support from the Global North remains key, the Global South should build capacity to eventually thrive independently through collaboration, she said.

Boitumelo Molete, a social development policy coordinator at Congress of South African Trade Unions, said COP30 is expected to be more just, inclusive and implementable.

The conference must ensure that workers and communities facing climate effects are supported, Molete said.

"It must deliver concrete outcomes that make the Just Transition Work Programme operational and enforceable. Climate investments must also include infrastructure and measures that help vulnerable communities withstand climate impacts," she said.

Climate finance should not drive developing countries deeper into debt, she said.

Makoma Lekalakala, director of nonprofit Earthlife Africa in Johannesburg, agreed on the need for clarity around loss and damage financing and called for a clear road map from COP29 to COP30.

The writer is a freelance journalist for China Daily.