 "West’s hypocrisy at COP29: Why Global South must draw the line")
Wealthy Western nations—the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and Norway—are the epitome of climate hypocrisy. While lecturing the world on the urgency of combating climate change, these nations are simultaneously responsible for 51 per cent of all planned oil and gas field expansions through 2050. This is nothing short of a climate betrayal. These five countries alone plan to unleash 173 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions—equal to the output of 1,100 new coal plants or more than 30 years’ worth of US annual emissions.
Their actions make a mockery of the Paris Agreement and expose their empty rhetoric. While developing countries are berated for not doing enough, the West continues to bankroll its addiction to fossil fuels, prioritising corporate profits over the planet’s survival. Meanwhile, the same countries refuse to provide the financial support they pledged to help poorer nations adapt and mitigate climate change impacts. At COP29, developed nations offered a measly $300 billion annually by 2035 for climate finance—a far cry from the $1.3 trillion required by developing nations to meet their climate goals. This deliberate shortchanging guarantees that the poorest nations, already bearing the brunt of climate disasters, will lack the resources to update their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) with meaningful ambition in 2025.
The data from the UN Environment Programme’s Emissions Gap Report 2024, released just before the COP29 summit, reveals stark disparities in per capita and historical greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across regions and countries, highlighting the unequal burden of climate responsibility. The United States, with per capita emissions of 18 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent (tCO₂e) in 2023, produces nearly three times the global average of 6.6 tCO₂e and six times India’s per capita emissions of 2.9 tCO₂e. Similarly, the Russian Federation’s per capita emissions of 19 tCO₂e and the European Union’s 7.3 tCO₂e significantly outpace those of regions such as the African Union (2.2 tCO₂e) and the least developed countries (1.5 tCO₂e). These figures underscore the vast differences in individual contributions to global emissions.
When considering historical emissions, the inequalities become even more pronounced. The United States, with 527 GtCO₂ of cumulative emissions since 1850, is responsible for 20 per cent of the global total, despite having just 4 per cent of the world’s population. The European Union adds another 301 GtCO₂ (12 per cent), while India’s historical emissions amount to only 83 GtCO₂, or 3 per cent of the global total, despite being home to over 1.4 billion people. Even China, the largest current emitter at 16,000 MtCO₂e annually (30 per cent of global emissions), has historical emissions of 300 GtCO₂, roughly half of the United States’ cumulative total. This disparity in both per capita and historical emissions highlights the disproportionate responsibility of developed nations. Countries like India and those in the African Union, which collectively contribute less than 8 per cent of global historical emissions despite their large populations, are being forced to bear the brunt of climate mitigation efforts.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsAfter centuries of reckless industrialisation, they have polluted their way to prosperity, amassing wealth while dumping greenhouse gases into the atmosphere without restraint. Now, having built their economies on environmental destruction, they turn around and impose punitive measures like the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) on developing nations, penalising them for emissions that are a fraction of what the West has historically contributed. This is not climate leadership—it is economic imperialism cloaked in green rhetoric.
CBAM and similar policies expose the brazen duplicity of the Global North. These mechanisms claim to promote decarbonisation but are nothing more than protectionist tools designed to stifle the industrial growth of developing nations.
This is akin to a thief who plundered the commonwealth now charging the rightful owners for using the remnants. Such measures rob developing countries of their competitive advantage, effectively shifting the costs of the Global North’s climate negligence onto those least responsible.
India has vehemently and rightly denounced the COP29 climate finance agreement as a grossly inadequate and deceptive measure that fails to address the urgent needs of developing nations. Chandni Raina, India’s adviser in the Department of Economic Affairs, lambasted the $300 billion annual pledge by 2035 as “nothing more than an optical illusion”, asserting that it “will not address the enormity of the challenge we all face”.
This paltry commitment starkly contrasts with the $1.3 trillion per year by 2030 that developing countries have been demanding to effectively combat climate change. The so-called agreement was steamrolled through the conference without allowing India and other dissenting voices to express their objections, a process Raina condemned as “unfair” and “stage-managed”, reflecting a troubling erosion of trust in the UN system.
India’s rejection is echoed by other Global South nations, who are outraged by the derisory financial commitments from wealthy countries. Nigeria’s negotiator dismissed the $300 billion package as a “joke”, emphasising that it insults the principles enshrined in the UNFCCC.
Similarly, representatives from Malawi, Bolivia, and small island states have expressed profound dissatisfaction, with some delegations walking out of negotiations in protest against the disregard for their pressing concerns.
This travesty of a deal not only undermines the foundational tenets of climate justice but also perpetuates the suffering of those least responsible for the climate crisis. The Global South’s call for substantial and immediate financial support has been met with empty promises and token gestures, exposing the hollow commitments of developed nations. The COP29 outcome stands as a stark reminder of the systemic inequities that continue to plague international climate negotiations, where the voice of the global south is marginalised, and the interests of the north prevail.
Perhaps it is time for the Global South to signal its collective agency by exploring a South-South Carbon Adjustment Union (SSCAU). While such a measure may not directly generate significant revenue, it would send a powerful message to the developed world: the South is not powerless in the face of global inequities. By imposing retaliatory tariffs on exports from countries failing to meet their climate obligations, the SSCAU could act as a bold reminder that climate responsibilities must be equitably shared.
This approach would not aim to penalise for financial gain but to reshape global climate dynamics by asserting the South’s collective strength. A union of this nature would challenge the West’s dominance in setting unilateral rules, forcing developed nations to acknowledge their commitments under international agreements like the Paris Accord.
Aditya Sinha (X: @adityasinha004) is Officer on Special Duty, Research, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost’s views.
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