The world's countries have been engaged in a complex dance at the United Nations climate talks in Baku. A new draft text, released early Thursday, aims to form the backbone of any potential deal on providing financial support to developing countries for their transition to clean energy and adaptation to climate change. However, this draft has left out a crucial sticking point - the exact amount that wealthy nations will pay. A key option for the lowest payment was merely a placeholder "X," as rich nations have yet to make a firm offer.

The Disappointment Over the Lack of a Finance Figure at Baku Climate Talks

Rejection of the Vague Draft

Countries have been taking turns to reject this new but ambiguous draft. It has managed to unite the fractured world on climate change only in their shared distaste for the plan. Negotiators at COP29 in Baku are striving to bridge the gap between the $1.3 trillion that developing countries claim is needed and the few hundred billion that negotiators believe richer nations are willing to provide.

Independent experts emphasize that at least $1 trillion is required to facilitate the transition away from planet-warming fossil fuels and towards clean energy sources like solar and wind. It is also necessary to better adapt to the effects of climate change and compensate for the losses and damages caused by extreme weather.

Colombia's environment minister, Susana Mohamed, stated that without a figure from developed nations, "we are negotiating on nothing." Panama's Juan Carlos Monterrey Gomez called the "lack of commitment transparency a slap in the face to the most vulnerable." He added, "It is just utter disrespect to those countries that are bearing the brunt of this crisis."

Negotiators' Discontent

Lead negotiator Yalchin Rafiyev tried to emphasize the balance of the plan, but all sides disagreed, highlighting the urgency as time is running out. Pakistan delegate Romina Khurshid Alam said, "We would like to correct the balance. It is completely tilted." The European Union's climate envoy, Wopke Hoekstra, called the draft "imbalanced, unworkable, and not acceptable." Xia Yingxian, a member of the China delegation, also expressed dissatisfaction, stating that the current draft contains many "unsatisfied and unacceptable" parts.

In a statement, the COP29 Presidency stressed that the drafts "are not final." It added that the door is always open for bridging proposals and that possible finance goal numbers will be in the next draft on Friday. COP29 President Mukhtar Babayev convened a traditional Azerbaijani meeting, the Qurultay, where negotiators could voice their views and work towards a compromise. He said that "after hearing all views, we will outline a way forward regarding future iterations."

Call for Reducing Fossil Fuels

Other areas being negotiated include commitments to cut planet-warming fossil fuels and adapt to climate change. However, there has been little progress. European nations and the United States criticized the package of proposals for not being strong enough in reiterating the call for a transition away from fossil fuels.

Germany delegation chief Jennifer Morgan said, "The current text offers no progress on efforts to cut the world's emissions of heat-trapping gases. This cannot and must not be our response to the suffering of millions of people around the world. We must do better."

The United States, as the world's biggest historic emitter of greenhouse gases, has played a limited role in the talks as it prepares for another presidency under Donald Trump. But members of the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance, such as Colombia, Ireland, and Denmark, who are pushing for an end to fossil fuels, said the lack of wording on transitioning away from fossil fuels is not a deal-breaker for them.

Days earlier, the 20 largest economies met in Brazil and did not mention the call for transitioning away from fossil fuels. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres emphasized that there will be no way to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius if there is no phase-out of fossil fuels. On Thursday, the EU, Mexico, Norway, and several other countries announced their plans to rapidly cut emissions over the next decade to meet the Paris agreement's goal, although they did not detail how these cuts would be achieved.

Norway's minister of climate and environment, Tore Sandvik, said, "There is a real risk of falling short. We must reinforce the message that the Paris agreement is functioning as intended."