Just last week, around three million individuals were sent an emergency alert from the Government, warning of severe risks from Storm Darragh. The fourth serious storm to strike the UK in the last few months, Storm Darragh carried gusts of 96mph, killing two individuals and leaving thousands without power. The new head of the Climate Change Committee, Emma Pinchbeck, has used the storm as evidence that the UK is simply not prepared for the extreme weather changes we are currently facing. An issue that is often left on the backburner, the consequences of climate change are manifesting in real time, right before our eyes.
This comes after the most recent COP 29 climate summit, held in Baku, Azerbaijan. First established in 1992, the annual COP conferences originate from the collective effort of 154 countries committed to combating the damaging effects of anthropogenic climate change. Nicknamed the ‘finance COP’, the primary concern of this year’s conference was the securing of necessary funds to enable states to meet their climate targets.
Whilst the COP 15 conference oversaw the aim to raise $100 billion by 2020 to help vulnerable countries prepare for the effects of climate change, the agreement of COP 29 has concluded that developed countries must deliver at least $300 billion per year to developing countries by 2035. Amongst contributing towards preventative measures, this amount will also be split for reparative purposes, covering the damages suffered by developing countries from climate-related disasters.
This figure has divided states, however, with high income countries arguing that the emerging economies of China and India should also be eligible to pay into the New Collective Quantified Goal. Nations have responded to this insisting that wealthier countries such as the UK, are still primarily responsible for climate debt, due to a cumulative build up of greenhouse gas emissions since the industrial era (cf).
On the other end of the spectrum, developing countries have criticised the figure of $300 billion, claiming it is not enough to sufficiently address the needs of vulnerable nations. Deemed unambitious by the UN Secretary, General Antonio Guterres, the amount pledged by developed countries appears disproportionate in correlation to the damage they conduct. Indeed, a report by the International Monetary Fund confirms that despite only representing 16% of the world’s population, the wealthiest countries emit 40% of global CO2 emissions. Contrastingly, the poorest countries making up only 60% of the world’s population, emit less than 15% of emissions, yet are the hardest hit.
Most recently, this issue has been raised to the International Court of Justice, by the Pacific Island nation, Vanuatu. Following the double Category Four Tropical Cyclones, which occurred between 1st and 3rd March 2023, the island nation raised the disproportionate effects of climate change after having been plunged into a six-month crisis, with 80% of the island’s population directly affected. The ICJ undertook hearings on the matter, concluding on the 13th December. With Vanuatu’s envoy, Ralph Regenvanu urging that “We are on the frontline of climate change impact”, the hearing provided a legal opinion on cases where states had caused significant damage to the environment and failed to adequately recompense such harm.
This hearing, and the questions it poses, is particularly consequential following the UK Government’s high court defeat earlier this year in May. Despite insistence from the International Energy Agency that there was no need to invest in new oil and gas projects to meet global energy demands, the UK Government continued to support fossil fuel projects, with previous Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announcing 100 new North Sea oil and gas licences in 2023. In response to these behaviours, the UK Climate Change Committee voted a lack of confidence in the Government achieving its climate goals, in tandem with the High Court urging a redraft of the UK’s climate change plans.
This year has seen unprecedented weather extremes resulting from climate change. In October, Valencia bore witness to a deadly flood, killing 224 people and destroying homes and infrastructure. In the same month, Florida was struck by Hurricane Milton, only a week after the arrival of Hurricane Helene, with the storms reaching category 5 and 4 statuses respectively. Storm Darragh and Vanuatu’s double cyclones are no exception to this pattern.
Whilst we wait to hear the conclusions from the recent Vanuatu ICJ case, one thing remains evident: negligence can’t be afforded during a crisis of this size. Applying legally binding pressures is essential to implement the change necessary from responsible states and actors, such as the UK itself.
We are amid climate chaos. The pernicious effects of our warming planet are taking an immediate hold. Never has it been more urgent that government targets are met, and climate responses are taken seriously. The time for action is now.
Image: Flickr/NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
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