ActionAid International has criticised world leaders for making weak climate commitments at the United Nations Secretary General’s Climate Ambition Summit in New York, saying the pledges, especially from the Global North, fall short of what is required to avert worsening climate disasters.
The summit, which brought together governments including China and the European Union, saw countries outline their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). But ActionAid described the outcome as “deeply disappointing.”
Teresa Anderson, Global Lead on Climate Justice at ActionAid International, said the announcements revealed the growing influence of fossil fuel corporations over governments.
“It’s grim, isn’t it? So many governments are running scared from corporations that care only for short-term profits over long-term survival of the planet,” she said. “You can almost see the fossil fuel corporations frolicking through the climate policy landscape, merrily swinging a wrecking ball as they go.”
She added that the reluctance of rich countries to commit adequate finance and action leaves vulnerable communities in the Global South facing devastating consequences, while their own citizens are not spared.
“Rich polluting countries like the EU must go much further in practice than these lowball statements of intent,” Anderson said, calling for stronger democracies, resistance against corporate capture, and bolder climate action.
By Dare Akogun
