Re-Initiating the Green Climate Fund

Climate Change is one of the global narratives about major changes in weather patterns that occur in the long term uncertainly, climate change is a problem that has not been resolved, because there is no enlightening solution to environmental awareness, climate change is a framework built by global governance to find long-term solutions, because this phenomenon is very concerning lately, such as storms, floods, melting of the Arctic ice, drought, and raging sea waves, so that the impact of climate change is not only felt by developed countries, but also developing countries, both socially, economically, and biodiversity. Actually, this climate change has been felt several decades ago, but its effects have only been felt since the industrial revolution of the 19th century. Where at that time there was a major change in technological innovation that used fossil fuels, especially coal which was able to eliminate the beauty of nature and the environment wrapped in air pollution, even so, greenhouse gas emissions and manufacturing activities began to contribute to global warming which could threaten life.

In the 21st century, it is clear to the world that the global climate has contributed substantially to the extreme threat to life. The largest contributors to emissions at this second are large countries that are still competitive and racing each other in manufacturing development for the sake of economic growth and social welfare of their countries and maintaining their political and economic hegemony in the global arena. However, such a nature can be detrimental to developing countries, because the most severe impact felt by the climate phenomenon is the southern countries or what we often know as the global south which is filled with less developed countries such as in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, for example since 2022 dangerous weather in Africa has affected approximately 19 million people and killed around 4000 people, the causes of the loss of life are various factors such as drought, extreme weather, famine, and food security as well as infectious and non-infectious diseases, then hundreds of elephants lost their lives around 330 elephants in Botswana[1], due to Cyanobacteria’[2] Increased Due to climate change, these bacteria can be seen often called blue or green algae thrive on a warming planet, the existence of blue or green algae increases throughout the world because the warmer the climate, the more its growth will skyrocket. Some species of blue or green algae can produce toxins that damage liver cells and nerve cells. When elephants drink water they will eventually lose their lives and become extinct. According to the Australian science research institute, CSIRO, this toxin can even kill livestock and wild animals. In other cases in Indonesia, there are many floods everywhere and hydrometeorological disasters and we can see in the northern coastal area of ​​Jakarta the sea level has exceeded the land only the embankment stands to separate the ocean and land, it seems that the issue of Jakarta sinking needs to be studied in depth by scientists and intervention from the system with ideas supported by environmental ethics. The Global South is present can be seen as an effort by less developed countries to create global justice and global inequality and promote human rights in order to gain equal access in front of the global north which is filled with developed countries. The persistence of the global north in increasing economic growth can be felt from the increasingly uncertain climate change, although the global south also contributes some emissions, but, does not provide a significant contribution, but, this issue has a global impact so it is necessary for every country in the world to be aware of the sensitivity and ethics regarding this environment. The problem of sensitivity by embodying environmental ethics is certainly a must, however, what the author wants to highlight here is not blaming one party, but, the dilemma of non-compliance of the nation state and Re-Initiating the Green Climate Fund

The Dilemma of Non-Compliance

After the failure of the Kyoto agreement in responding to climate change due to non-compliance of nation states who are afraid of being left behind and losing legitimacy and becoming a precedent for other countries to leave the agreement to be competitive again, then a new agreement was born which we often know as the Paris Agreement which emphasizes according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, GHG emissions need to be cut by 43 percent by 2030 so that the earth’s temperature does not increase by 1.5 and must not exceed 2 degrees Celsius according to the Paris Agreement. According to the UNFCCC report, the world has not made sufficient progress in reducing GHG emissions to prevent the worst impacts of global warming. Although the European Union as a supranational organization has also carried out environmental diplomacy and become a leader in handling cases of this crucial phenomenon such as as part of its negotiation strategy at the Conference of the Parties (COP) 15, the European Union committed to increasing the emission reduction target by 30% by 2020. Unfortunately, at the conference, the European Union’s idea was pushed aside by countries whose share of global emissions was much larger and whose emission reduction commitments were less. This makes the Copenhagen Accords considered a disappointment for the EU. Since this COP, EU policymakers have shifted from using the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) as a negotiating tool to promoting internal policy development (Oberthür & Groen 2017).

However, all of these efforts have actually been carried out by this supranational organization in various new ways to contribute since the 1990s as a form of commitment to the agenda of these substantial issues, however, the problem does not stop there, Seeing the dilemma of the United States in 2015 withdrawing from the Paris Agreement on the grounds that it was detrimental and had an impact on 2.7 million jobs, even though it has adequate facilities, many of the Global South countries do not have the means to comply enthusiastically with the Paris Agreement agreement, plus developed countries are still hesitating in their promises regarding the promise of climate funds given to developing countries that have been severely affected by US$100 billion since 2017-2021, the details are as follows; in 2017 the total reached US$51.8 billion and in 2021 it hit US$62 billion when compared to 2020 the total was around US$65 billion and that indicates that in 2021 there was a decrease in climate funds of US$3 billion. And then we can see developed countries that reject fossil-based energy, but they still use fossil energy, even developed countries in an investigative report entitled Comparing Rhethoric with Reality on Fossil Fuels and Climate Change (Daley, 2021:5) revealed the behavior of developed countries involved in the negotiations at COP-26. The report highlights the attitudes of the United Kingdom, the United States, Norway, Canada, and Australia who are very enthusiastic about proclaiming the causes of climate change, but at the same time still rely on fossil fuels. For example, in the United States, as of 2024, the main source of GHG emissions is still fossil fuels.[3]

In seeing the dilemma experienced by the nation state above, it can be understood as our lack of seriousness in handling this competitive disease. Likewise, COP-27 and accompanied by COP-28, however, it is necessary to re-discuss at COP-29 Azerbaijan in 2024 regarding developed countries must fulfill the agreements they have agreed to from the beginning and developing countries also seek big ideas based on their country’s identity. Like the philosophical sentence from Minang Kabau, namely “Alam Takambang Jadi Guru” with the meaning as a basic form of forming local wisdom that makes nature a place to learn not an opponent that must be conquered “Bakarano Bakajadian” or can be interpreted as the law of cause and effect because our work on nature must have consequences. As the following Minang proverb says, ”Api mambaka, aie mambasahi, tajam malukoi, runciang mancucuak, gunuang bakabuik, lurah baraie, lawik barombak, bukik barangin (api membakar, air membasuh, tajam melukai, runcing menusuk, gunung berkabut, jurang berisikan air, laut berombak, bukit berangin” Which means we must always be careful with nature so as not to get hurt. It can be a philosophical basis for the international world regarding this ambitious ecological agenda, and continuing to urge developed countries to provide smooth climate funds based on the initial agreement is a powerful step to embody the narrative of sustainability.

Reimagining the Green Climate Fund Budget

The US$100 billion per year climate funding agreement is actually not enough to realize a half emission reduction by 2030, moreover developed countries have not shown a firm commitment to this issue, because we can see the COP meeting only as an evaluation of compliance with the Paris agreement commitment, the need for funds to limit global temperature increases below 1.5 ° C per year reaches US$2.4 trillion by 2035. If we turn to the economy regarding the green economy, of course such a thing cannot be ascertained to be included in the domestic allocation category, it must be distributed to domestic developing countries must also be channeled in the appropriate direction why is climate funding present. Here the author will explain the importance of adding green climate funds as a path to effective steps to reduce carbon emissions from a linear economy to a circular economy, because climate change and rapid changes in global geopolitics must be taken into account, this can threaten the economy of developing countries and jobs and even severe environmental damage, so that the enthusiasm for sustainability becomes a delayed time for developing countries such as floods threatening the business sector and the global supply chain is unstable due to the arrogance of the superpower, Hopefully we can enjoy this ambitious agenda equally without any delay. Therefore, the author’s climate fund budget is for a green innovation fund to create Green Technology and Green Products of US$50 billion, so the total is US$150 billion. Seeing developing countries facing this major change certainly cannot adapt, it is necessary to have mitigation ideas to overcome this problem such as international collaboration, both international organizations and developed countries, considering that developed countries have very strong Fiscal and Monetary space to do so and see how they overcome the two problems above supported by sophisticated technology and diamond ideas such as the green innovation fund program carried out by the European Union, because it is impossible for developing countries and those who have not been able to release their potential to focus on agenda 2 at once, both the problem of economic growth and protecting the environment. Therefore, it is necessary to discuss at COP-29 later regarding the ideas that the author initiated to be presented as a new atmosphere that can be debated and considered, so that we can see and think to change our perspective from high to low time preferences and towards optimism.


[1]https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jul/01/more-than-350-elephants-dead-in-mysterious-mass-die-off-botswana-aoe

[2] https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-54234396

[3] https://net0.com/blog/greenhouse-gas-emissions-in-the-united-states

Robbi Herfandi
Robbi Herfandi
Robbi Herfandi, a Bachelor of International Relations student at Andalas University, I am interested in political economy, international security, human rights and global justice and terrorism issues.