The atmosphere was “glacial”Monday, October 7 on the second day of COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, note Time. And not only because of the temperature of “the over-conditioned room” in which the summit was held. “The day devoted to the financial demands of the countries of the South, which accuse their neighbors to the North of not wanting to untie their purses”explains the Swiss daily, noting that “The North-South tug of war on the question of the transfer of wealth and the reparation of damage was evident from the first speech, that of the host country, Egypt”.
“Our collaboration is based on the principle of common but differentiated responsibility”recalled Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sissi. “Rich countries must do more to support adaptation efforts”launched the leader who considers that developed countries have a greater responsibility in terms of greenhouse gas emissions.
UN boss Antonio Guterres has “lectured” world leaders for their part, noting that their inaction in the face of the accelerating climate crisis amounted to a “collective suicide”note The East – The Day.
The Secretary General of the United Nations has pointed the finger at the “special responsibility” of China and the United States and called in particular for “see again” the functioning of the international financial system in order to be able to better help certain countries which are victims of disasters such as Pakistan, affected since last summer by historic floods. The Pakistani government has estimated the cost of the damage at $30 billion, notes the Southgerman newspapera sum that “the country cannot manage alone”.
A fund to help the most vulnerable countries
“Decision makers in the most vulnerable countries want clear financial commitments from wealthy countries and a fund created specifically to help countries that are already suffering loss and damage from climate change”emphasizes the Washington Post. Developed countries are on their side rather favorable “unlocking billions of dollars in private investment to help climate transition rather than focusing on billions of dollars in public offsets that will never be enough to meet the needs of the developing world”according to them.
Even among rich countries, divisions exist, notes the American daily, pointing to the example of France and its president, Emmanuel Macron, who on Monday accused China and the United States of not helping vulnerable countries enough. , at an event bringing together African and French climate activists. “Europeans are paying, but the simple problem is that we are the only ones paying”said the president. “Now we have to put pressure on the rich non-European countries, to tell them: ‘You have to pay your share’.”
A position that leaves Burkinabe daily life skeptical The country. “According to certain sources, the boss of the Élysée has no other ambition than to be able to ’embark’ his G7 partners, to be at the rendezvous of solidarity with Africa. But beyond these good intentions, one wonders if the French head of state will manage to move the lines in the desired direction”notes the newspaper in an editorial. “The question is all the more justified since the great powers have always shown that they do not operate on sentiment but rather on the basis of their interests”remark The country. One wonders if Emmanuel Macron does not preach in the desert, or if this posture of the French president does not proceed more from a desire to be seen well by Africans than to really weigh on the course of the history of this world summit. on the climate.”
“Everything indicates that discussions on loss and damage will end without significant breakthroughs”concludes for its part the Washington Post. After hours of negotiation over the weekend over what to include on the agenda, rich countries felt that getting the issue first in formal talks was already a big step. Vulnerable countries consider this to be the bare minimum.”