Following the conclusion of the latest COP29 climate talks ITUC General Secretary Luc Triangle has said “Workers are at the heart of climate action, but once again, they have been excluded from the process. There will be no effective climate action without protecting current and future workers. Climate justice is social justice, and this COP has undermined both.”
The agreement to mobilise US$300 billion from a wide variety of sources, including development bank loans and private finance, over ten years in 2035 is woefully insufficient to address the climate crisis. This falls far below the minimum US$1.3 trillion per year required to address the climate needs of developing countries. The lack of a robust commitment to public, grant-based finance exacerbates the crisis, leaving vulnerable nations at risk of deepening debt distress.
In a deeply disappointing move for workers and communities on the frontline of climate impacts, meaningful discussions on implementing Just Transition Work Programmes (JTWP) were sidelined. The erosion of trust and fairness in the negotiating process at COP29 has made future progress even more critical.
For workers and their communities, the need for a just, fair, and publicly owned climate and energy transition is critical. This transition must ensure no one is left behind while addressing the root causes of inequality and environmental destruction.
“Rich developed countries have ignored their responsibility to deliver the finance needed to tackle the climate crisis in the Global South, and they have refused to prioritise the implementation of Just Transition policies,” said Luc Triangle, ITUC General Secretary.
Read more: ITUC - COP29 Talks end with utterly inadequate deal