Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 24, 2025

Developed countries urged to honor climate pledges

Developed countries urged to honor climate pledges

China is urging developed countries to honor their financial pledges made to developing countries to help mitigate and adapt to climate-related problems. And it set a concrete road map to scale up support.
Failure to honor commitments will damage confidence in multilateral progress on climate change, Chinese negotiators attending the ongoing Madrid UN climate conference said.

China's message was given over the weekend. Midway through conference, only limited progress has been made for assessing whether and how much developed countries have fulfilled their promises.

As stated in the 2015 Paris agreement, developed countries should provide $100 billion annually by 2020 to help developing countries and efforts go forward to keep the average global temperature increase well below the agreed 2 C above preindustrial levels. Further efforts would limit the increase to 1.5 C.

One of the tasks for the ongoing gathering of 197 countries in Madrid is to check how developed nations have honored their commitments.

During the time designated for such assessments and reviews, however, subsidiary bodies of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change mainly reported their own work progress. So far, the gathering has not detailed developed countries' progress in honoring their pledges and identifying gaps, said Lu Xinming, deputy secretary-general of the Chinese delegation to the conference.

The gathering only "touched on the matter lightly", which cannot be called an assessment or review, he added.

Dong Guanyang, a Chinese delegate, said that several country groups, including Like Minded Developing Countries and BASIC bloc countries, have submitted a proposal asking the chair of the conference to roll out discussions on how to describe and deal with the gaps in developed countries' pre-2020 commitments.

As the Paris agreement is to be implemented after 2020, and being in the final month before the new year, some developed countries would like to "turn over a new leaf", Dong said, adding that some countries are motivated to breach their commitments.

"The pre-2020 issue is not a matter of time but of promises and obligations," she said, reaffirming that the commitments must be fulfilled.

Dong also warned of negative consequences if the promises are breached.

"As for multilateral mechanisms, confidence provides the best momentum. Only with mutual trust can various parties go forward hand in hand, with each others' concerns in mind," she said.

If previous promises are not kept, it's natural that confidence in the implementation of any new pledges will be shaken, she added.

Huang Yueqiu, a Chinese negotiator engaged in climate finance, said it's a must that the outcome of the current conference include a clear timetable and road map for the long-term support of developing countries from 2020 to 2025.

"We strongly object to what's been expressed by some developed countries, that 2020 will be the end of long-term financial support," he said.

Under the Paris agreement, developed countries should set a new collective quantified goal from a floor of $100 billion per year, taking into account the needs and priorities of developing countries.

Sun Jin, special representative for climate change negotiations, said the financial support from developed countries should be ratcheted up if the developing countries ramp up their efforts to help reach the more ambitious goal of limiting the global temperature rise to 1.5 C.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Airlines Evaluate Flight Cancellations Amid Escalating US-Iran Tensions
Starmer Invites Innovators to Join Government Talent Scheme
UK Economy’s Strong Opening Quarter Shows Signs of Cooling
Harrods Seeks Court Order to Secure Al Fayed Estate for Victims
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
BBC Demands Perplexity AI Immediately Stop Using Its Content
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
Political Turmoil Resurfaces in Belgium Amid Economic Concerns
Fed policymakers divided on timing of interest rate cuts
Trump signals imminent agreement with Harvard University
Inheritance tax referendum alarms Swiss billionaire community
Japan cancels bilateral security meeting amid US defence demands
AI skeptic Emily Bender warns that ‘the emperor has no clothes’
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
×