COP29, set for November 2024 in Azerbaijan, aims to enforce accountability among major polluters of greenhouse gases by implementing the ‘polluter pays’ principle. The failure of previous COPs to ensure compliance necessitates immediate action, particularly as global temperatures reach alarming levels. Proposed measures include ending fossil fuel subsidies, establishing carbon pricing, and enhancing legal accountability for climate damages, with the ultimate goal of achieving justice and equity in climate-related action.
The upcoming 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29) in Azerbaijan, scheduled for November 2024, presents a vital opportunity to emphasize accountability for greenhouse gas emissions. Historically, the ‘polluter pays’ principle has been central to climate negotiations, asserting that those responsible for pollution must bear the costs of their actions to avoid detrimental impacts on health and the environment. Unfortunately, despite widespread acceptance in theory, practical enforcement has been lacking. Consequently, significant polluters continue to operate with minimal repercussions, leaving developing nations—those least responsible for emissions— to shoulder the burden of climate change adaptation and mitigation. As the planet experiences alarming temperature increases, hitting over 2°C above pre-industrial levels in November 2023, COP29 must demonstrate unwavering political resolve to achieve the necessary emission reductions. If unchecked, the ramifications of climate change could cost the African continent approximately $50 billion annually, while globally, it could result in approximately 250,000 deaths each year between 2030 and 2050. From my perspective as a Professor of Environmental Science with expertise in pollution from fossil fuels, I assert that COP29 must implement robust measures to hold polluters accountable. This includes taxing those responsible, ensuring they financially contribute for past damages, and enabling judicial avenues to seek climate-related reparations. The failures of earlier COPs underscore the importance of this approach. While ambitious goals were established, such as the legally binding Paris Agreement reached at COP21, enforcement mechanisms remain inadequate. Signatory countries face no penalties for failing to meet their voluntary commitments, often resulting in a lack of action from major emitters, including the United States, which withdrew from the agreement without facing consequences. COP29 offers a pivotal chance to not only reaffirm the ‘polluter pays’ principle but to actually implement enforceable penalties for non-compliance. Measures essential for consideration include ending fossil fuel subsidies, which amounted to $7 trillion globally in 2022, and establishing mandatory climate finance liability mechanisms that obligate major corporations to compensate regions affected by their emissions. Additionally, introducing carbon pricing and taxation can incentivize the reduction of emissions by making polluting activities more financially burdensome. Legal accountability for climate damage should also be prioritized, with calls for international courts to adjudicate cases of environmental harm. Establishing frameworks for these lawsuits represents a crucial step in addressing excessive emissions. Furthermore, financial transparency regulations could compel corporations to disclose their environmental impacts, thereby enabling more effective identification of polluters. Finally, accountability for historical emissions is crucial; it is imperative that fossil fuel companies face responsibilities for their past contributions to climate change. COP29 can create mechanisms that require these companies to contribute to a global “climate reparations” fund to support affected communities. Moving forward, it is paramount that the international community develops rigorous accountability mechanisms for major greenhouse gas emitters, thus ensuring a fair financial contribution to climate adaptation and mitigation efforts in vulnerable regions. The success of COP29 will hinge on the collective commitment of nations and corporations to uphold principles of justice, equity, and transparency in climate action. The burdens of climate change must not fall disproportionately upon those who are least culpable.
The focus of COP29 resides in enforcing accountability for greenhouse gas emissions, grounded in the longstanding ‘polluter pays’ principle. This principle posits that those responsible for pollution should incur the costs associated with their environmental impact. Despite the theoretical acceptance of this concept within previous climate summits, practical enforcement has been deficient, leaving developing nations to manage the repercussions of climate change while being less responsible for emissions. The urgency of the situation has intensified as recent climate data indicates a rise exceeding 2°C above pre-industrial levels, stressing the need for robust action during COP29 to avert dire social and economic impacts.
In summary, COP29 holds the potential to make significant strides toward accountability in climate change efforts, emphasizing the need for enforceable penalties for large greenhouse gas emitters. The crucial measures proposed—including ending fossil fuel subsidies, implementing mandatory liability frameworks, establishing carbon pricing, and facilitating legal accountability—are essential in restructuring global frameworks to ensure justice and equity in addressing climate change. As the world faces unprecedented climatic challenges, COP29 must prioritize the burdens placed on those least culpable for emissions and implement frameworks that compel major polluters to assume their responsibilities for the environmental crises they have created.
Original Source: nation.africa
