Ireland's Environment Minister Eamon Ryan is worried ahead of this year's major climate meeting, COP29 in Baku.
Geopolitical and multilateral cooperation is not exactly the flavor of the month right now. So there is a risk that we won't reach an agreement. We must not be blindly optimistic, warns Ryan on his way to the EU environment ministers' meeting in Luxembourg on Monday.
How global climate measures will be paid for and by whom is once again a sticking point at COP29. Without mentioning any names, the EU's Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra is clear that they want to see more from, for example, China and oil-rich Arab countries.
What we need is not just commitments from Europeans but also that we can see others who can afford to pay step forward and take their responsibility, says Hoekstra in Luxembourg.
Ahead of COP29, which begins on November 11, the EU countries agreed on their negotiating position on Monday.
Sweden's Climate and Environment Minister Romina Pourmokhtari (L) is pleased with the result.
"When the EU goes united into the negotiations, we become a driving force that can push for more countries to reduce their emissions in combination with strong climate financing," she says in a written statement.
