A death sentence for millions on the climate frontline

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Like many people, I had high hopes that COP29 would be the climate conference to finally secure the funds needed to deal with climate change. But sadly, the final deal did not deliver what so many of us have long hoped for.

In fact, global leaders displayed a shameful lack of commitment on climate action. The new global climate finance goal of $300 billion a year falls well short of what experts estimate is required for communities around the world to truly address climate change and adapt to the effects. As climate-induced extreme weather events, such as floods and droughts, become more frequent and more intense, those least responsible for the crisis will become even more vulnerable to its effects. And for millions, daily life will become more of a struggle – affecting everything from the food they eat and water they drink, to their health and livelihoods.

COP29 was one of the last opportunities to ensure those on the frontlines of the climate crisis can develop resilience, but world leaders failed them – once again.

The world cannot continue to gamble with the lives of marginalised people and those living in poverty. How many more COP conferences will be needed before global leaders deliver? And how many more vulnerable communities will lose their homes or livelihoods while they wait for decisive action?

Moreblessings Chidaushe , Regional Advocacy Manager, Pan-Africa Programme

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More from our experts

• Too little too late: Like many others, we were disappointed by the amount of funding agreed at COP this year. At $300 billion, the new global climate finance goal falls woefully short of what developing countries were pushing for. This, we told BBC News , is nothing short of a ‘death sentence’ for millions at the forefront of the climate crisis.??
• ‘Silenced’ voices deliver #MyCOPMessage:?People experiencing the worst effects of the climate crisis are often excluded from key conversations on how to adapt to it. In our #MyCOPMessage campaign, local experts shared their demands to world leaders at COP29 in Environment Journal
• ‘They don’t need me to die’: As countries negotiated a new climate finance deal at COP29, Moreblessings Chidaushe spoke to The National News about why adaptive finance, especially from private businesses, is needed to tackle the climate crisis.??
• Tackling the silent pandemic: Some 9.5 million people die from hospital-acquired infections in low-income countries every year – a third of whom are children. Geographical Magazine uses our latest research to?outline the links between antimicrobial resistance and WASH.?

Top image: Rubina collects stagnant flood water that will be used for washing and cleaning in Sindh, Pakistan, October 2022. WaterAid/ Khaula Jamil?

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