The blazing heatwaves sweeping India, with temperatures reaching nearly 50°C have heightened concerns about the growing effects of climate change. With the world already a degree warmer than it was during the pre-industrial era, these scorching heatwaves are projected to become even more powerful and frequent due to climate change.
As the mid-year United Nations (UN) Climate Change Conference – UNFCCC intersessional gets underway in Bonn, Germany, experts have demanded strong action to limit the warming to 1.5℃ – as per the 2015 Paris Agreement to control the extreme weather events from worsening further. The diplomatic talks are crucial as delegates will negotiate the knotty issue of climate finance – critical for all vulnerable countries.
“One of the topline discussions at Bonn is climate finance and it has always remained a concern for developing countries like India. The $100 billion promised over a decade ago has yet to be fulfilled, and this year a new goal must be set,” Trishant Dev, Programme Officer (Climate Change) at Centre for Science & Environment (CSE) said adding that negotiations on crucial parts of this New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) are important in combating the growing climate disasters.
But it is not just the quantum of finance, but questions around the manner and time frame in which it will be delivered are what hold immense significance.
“Climate finance and carbon markets are top issues this year. Availability of finance is critical for meeting both mitigation as well as adaptation needs of developing countries but there is a need to ensure that climate finance is predictable, effective, accessible and doesn’t burden developing countries with more debt. Therefore, on the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG), important issues of quantity, quality, timelines and transparency in tracking of financing will need to be decided,” said Ashwini Hingne, Associate Programme Director, Climate Programme at World Resources Institute (WRI).
Recent studies have shown how climate change has intensified the deadly heatwaves sweeping large parts of India. The number of heatwave days were unusually high, and scorched several states with severe intensity continuously for over a fortnight. According to World Weather Attribution (WWA)’s latest report, climate change made this year’s heatwave across Asia 1°C hotter. The relentless heat claimed lives across states – and many deaths went unreported due to lack of standardised method to confirm heat-related mortalities.
“The whole world has been watching with horror the terrible heatwaves which have struck India this year. So many parts of the global south are suffering from the impacts of extreme weather, making life miserable for some of the poorest and most vulnerable people. These heatwaves need to be a wakeup call to politicians at the UN climate talks in Bonn and later this year at the COP29 summit in Baku. They need to work harder to slash polluting carbon emissions and radically boost the finance needed for communities to adapt to a changing climate,” Mohamed Adow, Director of climate-energy think tank Power Shift Africa told News18.
Experts have also been pushing for rapidly filling the Loss and Damage Fund so people suffering the biggest losses and damages from climate change can get the compensation they need to rebuild their lives and livelihoods. The international fund was adopted at COP28 in Dubai and negotiations are underway in Bonn to get it off the ground at the earliest.
The 60th session of the Subsidiary Bodies (SB60) to the UN Framework Convention On Climate Change (UNFCCC) – ‘Bonn climate talks’ are being held in Germany from June 3-13. The annual conference of the UNFCCC Secretariat also sets the tone for this year’s UN Climate Summit (COP29) slated to be held in Baku this November.
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