The prospect of Donald Trump as US president has created great uncertainty about whether the COP29 climate summit can deliver the expected agreement on more climate finance for developing countries.
Now the US special climate envoy and chief negotiator for the climate summit, John Podesta, has stated that the US will try to land an ambitious agreement before the presidency changes.
- We are here to work, and we are dedicated to a successful outcome, he says at a press conference in Baku, Azerbaijan.
John Podesta expresses great frustration over the election of Donald Trump as president. This will have major consequences for the climate, he says.
- For those dedicated to climate ambitions, last week's result was bitterly disappointing.
He is very aware of the disappointment the US has caused the parties in the climate fight.
- It is clear that the next administration will take a U-turn in this process.
Before then, however, the US delegation to the summit is determined to land an agreement that distributes billions of dollars from the West to poorer countries.
- It has to be realistic, but we believe it can happen, he says.
Danish concern
From the Danish side, there has been concern about whether the US will be able to be an ambitious negotiator.
- There is a certain probability that this means that the US negotiators will be in a position where they do not have much to negotiate with, said Climate Minister Lars Aagaard to Ritzau after the US election.
While John Podesta talks about the motivation to land a successful agreement, other parties consider the US to be the difficult party in the negotiations.
As the world's historically largest emitter of greenhouse gases with an enormous economy, the US is under pressure to provide climate financing to poorer countries that are hit hard by climate change, which they themselves have a small share in creating.
The US is already described as reluctant on this issue, where they are trying to reduce a new target for climate financing in relation to the wishes of developing countries. Here, the prospect of Trump could further weaken the credibility of an agreement if he still wants to leave it, several parties believe.
/ritzau/
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