Brandon Wu, Director of Policy & Campaigns at ActionAid USA, said:
“Rich countries are working overtime to evade their responsibility to provide the money developing countries need for climate action. Instead of providing assurances that real finance is coming to enable a just transition and support communities to adapt to climate impacts, they are pushing ahead with false solutions. For instance, the billions of dollars promised to the Tropical Forest Forever Facility is a ploy to put money into capital markets, with only the spare change going to communities.
The rich countries that say they refuse to leave this COP without stronger action on mitigation are being massively hypocritical. Of course, we need stronger mitigation action – but those Global North countries are not themselves on track to phase out fossil fuels. They are watering down any language in the text that refers to their responsibilities to pay climate finance to enable the phaseout in the Global South. They are pointing fingers at everyone but themselves. They are demanding everything and providing nothing.”
Ends
Brandon Wu is the Director of Policy and Campaigns for ActionAid USA; he has been closely following climate negotiations since 2012. Brandon is an expert on climate finance and fairness and equity globally, with a recent focus on the establishment of the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage. He is a current board member of the US Climate Action Network, a former board member of Climate Action Network-International, and was the elected civil society representative on the Green Climate Fund board during its formative years from 2013-2015. Brandon is available for interviews at COP30 in Belem.
You can follow Brandon on Blue Sky and X: @brandoncwu.bsky.social @brandoncwu
For media requests, please email christal.james@actionaid.org or call 7046659743.