LEILA FADEL, HOST:
The COP29 climate conference ended with an agreement on Sunday, which didn't always look likely.
ROB SCHMITZ, HOST:
No. At one point, delegations from some of the most affected nations staged a walkout. But in the end, negotiators struck a deal to provide climate financing to developing nations to help cope with the effects of climate change.
FADEL: Michael Copley from NPR's climate desk is here with me in studio to explain the deal. Good morning, Michael.
MICHAEL COPLEY, BYLINE: Good morning, Leila.
FADEL: So the focus at this year's conference was money. So remind us - what was the big goal for countries coming into the meeting?
COPLEY: So the conflict is always the fact that wealthy countries are responsible for a lot of the climate pollution that's raising global temperatures, but it's poorer countries that are suffering some of the worst impacts.
FADEL: Right.
COPLEY: Like more extreme heat waves and floods. So years ago, wealthy countries agreed to help developing countries pay for stuff like renewable energy and protecting themselves. It's an acknowledgment that the poorer countries didn't cause the problem, and they can't pay to deal with it on their own. So the goal this year was to come up with a new funding target, and on Sunday, they did that. They agreed to $300 bilion a year. But people still left really unhappy.
FADEL: Now, the meeting went on more than a day longer than it was supposed to. What were people so upset about?
COPLEY: It's really the money the countries promised wasn't nearly enough. Researchers estimate that developing countries will need more than $1 trillion a year for climate change.
FADEL: Wow.
COPLEY: One of the people who spoke at the closing meeting was a delegate from Nigeria, Nkiruka Maduekwe. And you'll hear she got a big applause.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
NKIRUKA MADUEKWE: Three hundred billion dollars till 2035 is a joke, and it's not something we should take lightly. I do not think it's something we should clap our hands and force us to take it.
(APPLAUSE)
COPLEY: And it's not just the amount of money. You know, it's not due until 2035. And what developing countries had said they need is more grant funding, not loans, so they don't add to their already high debt burdens. They didn't get any commitment around that.
FADEL: So, Michael, I can hear how upset some countries are or were. Why'd they agree to the deal?
COPLEY: You know, they don't really have a lot of options. You know, they can't afford to protect themselves, and so they're kind of stuck taking what's offered. And rich countries say they can't afford to foot the bill on their own. They say that they're working with private investors and groups like the World Bank to get more money flowing into developing countries, so the work now is to try to actually do that. Simon Stiell is the U.N. climate chief, and he said the deal that was agreed to in Azerbaijan is a step in the right direction.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
SIMON STIELL: This deal will keep the clean energy boom growing, helping all countries to share in its huge benefits - more jobs, stronger growth, cheaper and cleaner energy.
COPLEY: The big question now is whether wealthy countries will make good on their promise. They were slow to deliver money on their last commitment, so poor countries are in a position of relying on unreliable neighbors.
FADEL: And just before I let you go, I mean, this conference was held a few weeks after President-elect Trump was chosen here in the U.S. Trump pulled the U.S. out of the Paris Agreement, the key international agreement underlying these talks. What does this mean for these talks going forward?
COPLEY: It is really uncertain, right? Trump is expected to pull the U.S. out of Paris again, which could really diminish the U.S. role in these kinds of talks. But I think it's really important to remember that other countries are working on this issue. And so are states and cities in the U.S, as well as companies. So what the Trump administration does is really important, but they aren't the only player here.
FADEL: That's Michael Copley from NPR's climate desk. Thank you, Michael.
COPLEY: Thanks, Leila.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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