China’s ‘developing’ status shows up UN climate farce

The United Nations COP29 is in full swing to save the planet, with Chris Bowen trying very hard to be prominent (“China makes $1.8 trillion climate demand from developed nations”, 14/11). China, the world’s biggest polluter and second-largest economy is demanding developed nations pay $US1.3 trillion ($2 trillion) to developing countries – like China – to compensate for climate change.

That would amount to around $100,000 per Australian every year if we paid the lot. Under the rigged United Nations rules China is still a “developing country” with special exemptions even though it is the world’s second-biggest economy, has an enormous military threatening the Pacific and can build its own aircraft carriers and land spacecraft on the moon. This whole UN charade around Western nations causing climate change is now getting farcical. No wonder Trump is going to pull the US out of the whole deal. Australia should too.

Ian Brake, Mackay, Qld

Peta Credlin suggests the new direction America’s energy and climate policies will take under a Trump presidency. But this could completely change if a Democrat president were elected in four years’ time. Similarly, Australia’s energy future could be tipped on its head if Peter Dutton heads up the next government. Three- and four-year terms are great to give people the chance to have their say in who governs the country but not good at all for issues such as energy policy, which ideally should stretch decades into the future.

Graeme Lechte, Brunswick, Vic

Peta Credlin has summarised the murky depths of Australia’s sadly unique debacle on the climate and energy loop. We are no longer the lucky or smart country. There’s no worse bad luck than scoring Chris Bowen in this portfolio. There’s nothing less smart than ignoring the tsunami of contrary evidence that Australia is on the wrong transitional path to mitigate global warming. Add in a PM who never comments on any of this downward spiral, and a Treasurer condoning it all while admitting our declining productivity is a bit of a problem requiring another money fix.

Betty Cockman, Dongara, WA

Like the US, Australia is resisting adding loss and damage to climate mitigation and adaptation payments at COP29. But the polluter-pays principle should apply. The climate change we are experiencing now is hitting developing countries hardest and is caused by the greenhouse gas emissions emitted by developed countries over past decades and centuries. A significant proportion of the CO2 emitted 100 years ago still remains in the atmosphere today.

For example, even though China is currently the largest emitter, its cumulative emissions are still less than half of those contributed by developed countries since 1900. Given that 2024 is shaping up to be the hottest year on record, it is imperative that countries at COP29 agree on appropriate climate finance and the effective mechanisms to pay it.

Ray Peck, Hawthorn, Vic

The recently announced commitment by the Biden administration to triple US nuclear power capacity by 2050 by adding 200GW through new capacity, restarts and power updates is going to contrast sharply with Australia’s antiquated ban on civilian nuclear power. Under a pragmatic and technology-driven Trump administration, Anthony Albanese’s obsession with inefficient, unaffordable and unreliable renewable energy will stand out like a sore thumb.

Ron Hobba, Camberwell, Vic

I doubt Jennie George’s factual pleas for honesty on energy will make any difference to Labor, which routinely ignores the fact that much of the world, especially China and India, is doing nothing to cut emissions and Trump’s America will soon join them (“Honesty on energy Labor’s only option as election looms”, 12/11). Along with his refusal to tell us how much his grand schemes will cost, Chris Bowen avoids giving a reason why we should continue to degrade our energy system, force up prices and damage the natural environment when the world’s biggest emitters are doing nothing.

Donald Trump is not operating on a whim. He has facts on his side and could well be signalling the beginning of the end for the climate scare and the multi billions at stake.

Doug Hurst, Chapman, ACT