"The climate is the loser" - Reimund Schwarze reports on the World Climate Conference in Baku

"A COP is good when dissatisfaction is evenly distributed. However, this COP has left a clear imbalance of dissatisfaction," was the final conclusion of Prof Dr Reimund Schwarze, who has been an observer at the United Nations Climate Change Conferences for many years. "Towards the end, the recipient countries were practically begging for the money they needed."

Schwarze emphasised that climate protection must be considered, planned and budgeted based on the needs of developing countries. 1.3 trillion dollars was the demand of the affected recipient countries in the area of climate financing - one of the two main topics of the conference alongside carbon markets. An agreement was finally reached on 300 billion dollars by 2035. "However, everyone knows that this sum alone cannot be provided by states and development banks. It won't work without private capital," said Schwarze in an interview with Dr Amelie Kutter from the Viadrina Institute for European Studies (IFES). Schwarze is clear in his assessment: "There are no countries that have lost or won. The climate is the loser."

This year's COP was a big COP, but not a very big one, with around 67,000 participants instead of around 85,000 last year. The main reason? The presidency deliberately restricted the participation of non-governmental organisations and reduced their tickets. Amelie Kutter asked whether it was therefore possible - as reported in the media - to deduce the results of the negotiations from the venue. Schwarze denied this: "This conclusion is too simple. The last three COPs have produced important results and they all took place in petro-countries: in Egypt in 2022, in the United Arab Emirates last year and in Azerbaijan this year." Incidentally, when you look at it like that, you have to ask what exactly a petro-state is and whether the USA, with its huge oil reservoirs, isn't one of them. "Anyone who is familiar with negotiations and consensus processes knows that the most important ingredients are inclusivity and trust. Excluding individual countries would go against all the principles of successful negotiations," said Schwarze.

"Too little, too late" is a conclusion he also draws, but as an observer for decades, he also looks at the climate conference instrument with "prudence and reassurance". "The COP is an 'unstoppable' machine. It goes on and on; the negotiations never stop."

The discussion was a kick off for the new public research series "People and Planet" organised by the Institute for European Studies (IFES) at the Viadrina.

Michaela Grün