Frustration Mounts Over Unmet Pledges

Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister, James Marape, has issued a sharp critique of global climate summits, labelling them “long on talk and short on action,” ahead of his attendance at the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30) in Belém, Brazil. The summit is scheduled to run from Monday, 10 November, to Friday, 21 November 2025, East Africa Time (EAT). Marape, who boycotted the 2024 meeting in protest, stated his decision to attend this year is driven by “encouraging signs” that developed nations are finally ready to deliver on long-awaited climate finance. His stance reflects a growing impatience among developing nations who bear the brunt of climate change while having contributed least to its causes.

A Shared Vulnerability: From the Pacific to East Africa

Papua New Guinea, a nation of about 10 million, is acutely vulnerable to climate change, facing threats from sea-level rise, which could render some coastal areas uninhabitable, to extreme weather events like floods and landslides. The Asian Development Bank projects that climate impacts could cause economic losses of up to 15.2% of its GDP by 2100. These challenges mirror the realities in Kenya and the broader East Africa region. The East African Community (EAC) has identified climate change as a profound threat to regional socio-economic development, causing food and water scarcity, damaging infrastructure, and fueling resource-based conflicts. Projections indicate that East Africa will experience a significant increase in extreme weather events, including intense rainfall and heatwaves, threatening agriculture-dependent economies and public health. Like Papua New Guinea, where 80% of households rely on subsistence agriculture, a majority of East Africans depend on rain-fed farming, making them highly susceptible to climatic shifts.

The Sticking Point: Climate Finance

The core of the frustration articulated by leaders like Marape lies in the persistent gap between the climate finance promised by developed nations and the amounts delivered. In 2009, wealthy countries pledged to mobilize USD 100 billion annually by 2020 to help developing countries mitigate and adapt to climate change. This goal was only met for the first time in 2022, two years behind schedule. At COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, a new, higher target was set: the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) calls for developed countries to lead in raising at least USD 300 billion a year by 2035, within a broader goal of mobilizing USD 1.3 trillion from all sources. However, the outcome was met with disappointment from many developing nations who had pushed for a higher, more concrete target and clearer delivery mechanisms. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) highlighted the vast disparity in its 2025 report, estimating that developing countries need between USD 310-365 billion annually for adaptation alone, while they received just under USD 26 billion in 2023. This shortfall is a critical issue for nations like Kenya, which require substantial international support to implement their climate action plans, despite having policies rated as “1.5°C compatible” with their fair share contribution by the Climate Action Tracker.

COP30: A Moment of Truth in the Amazon

Hosted for the first time in a rainforest nation, COP30 in Brazil is seen as a pivotal moment. Prime Minister Marape emphasized the shared identity between Papua New Guinea and Brazil as custodians of the world's vital carbon sinks. He argues that if the global community wants these forests preserved, it must provide financial compensation to the local landowners who are their guardians. This perspective aligns with the broader call for climate justice, a principle enshrined in the original 1992 UN climate convention, which posits that nations with greater historical responsibility for emissions must bear a larger burden in solving the crisis. For Kenya, which has been a vocal advocate for needs-based climate finance and support for loss and damage, the negotiations in Belém will be crucial. President William Ruto has consistently pushed for reforms in the global financial architecture to better integrate climate finance and address the debt burdens that hamper climate action in Africa. As leaders gather in Belém, the demands from the Global South for tangible financial commitments, not just rhetoric, will be louder than ever. The success of COP30 will be measured not by the declarations made, but by the concrete resources mobilized to protect the planet's most vulnerable people and ecosystems.