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With time running down, negotiators at the United Nations annual climate talks on Wednesday returned to the puzzle of finding an agreement to bring far more money for vulnerable nations to adapt than wealthier countries have shown they're willing to pay. Pressure was building to drive a deal by the time COP29, as this year's summit is known, concludes this week. COP29 President Mukhtar Babayev asked negotiators to clear away the technical part of talks by Wednesday afternoon so they can focus on substance. That substance is daunting. Vulnerable nations are seeking USD 1.3 trillion to deal with damage from climate change and to adapt to that change, including building out their own clean-energy systems. Experts agree that at least USD 1 trillion is called for, but both figures are far more than the developed world has so far offered. Half the world away in Rio, Brazil, where the Group of 20 summit was wrapping up on Tuesday, the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told
India's Chief Economic Advisor V Anantha Nageswaran has criticised developed countries for their "double standards" on climate action, highlighting the G7's commitment to ending the use of unabated coal power plants only in the first half of the 2030s, despite their high carbon emissions. In the annual economic survey, Nageswaran said it is morally wrong to ask developing countries to abandon their aspirations for better living standards to allow developed countries to maintain their lifestyles in cleaner environments and cooler climates. He argued that economic growth would empower developing countries to better address climate change. Nageswaran said the UN convention on climate change and its Paris Agreement mandate that developed countries provide resources and take the lead in mobilising finance to tackle the global problem. "However, much of the climate action by developing countries has been done through domestic resources, and the emphasis of the developed countries has mai
India is not ready to join the world's first climate deal to curb pollution from commercial flights because it fears that talks beginning on Tuesday may not lead to a fair agreement, the civil aviation minister said."(We'll decide) once the nuts and bolts become clearer," Ashok Gajapathi Raju told Reuters on the sidelines of an aviation forum. "Until then, our fears are that it is not equitable."The proposed landmark deal, backed by the United States and China, aims to limit rising airline pollution to 2020 levels after it takes effect in 2021, but has been watered down by being made voluntary for the first five years. Countries with a high growth in the sector want more latitude to produce emissions than developed countries, which are growing more slowly but were responsible for generating the bulk of greenhouse gases. Reuters