COP29: Global South deserves more in climate funding - KL Mayor

Kuala Lumpur Mayor Datuk Seri Dr Maimunah Mohd Sharif said regions like Asia and Africa, despite consuming far less energy than developed nations, are excessively affected by extreme weather events, rising temperatures, and other climate-induced challenges.

"Hence, I called upon leaders to look into the financial structure of the COP climate change funding because the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of Parties (COP29) is about financing COP and enabling COP.

"The COP28 came out with stocktaking and COP29 should be action and refining," she told Bernama on the sidelines of the ongoing COP29 from Nov 11 to 22, here today.

Maimunah, who is the advisor to the COP29 Presidency, and also the former Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN-Habitat, said the only way cities like Kuala Lumpur and the developing world can continue to contribute to the climate goals is to have consistent annual funding to enable them to preserve urban green spaces and conserve its forested areas as carbon sinks.

"If we keep innovating to ensure our cities are walkable and invest more into public transport, we can further reduce carbon emissions and over-reliance on motor vehicles.

"To adapt to extreme climate events, I also advocate for more nature-based solutions including expanding the sponge city concept and making urban centres into biodiversity hubs and creating BiodiverCities," she said.

Maimunah also urged all leaders to stop all wars as there would be "no sustainable development without peace and no peace without sustainable development".

Maimunah said she also brought the voices of local government networks and mayors to COP29, showcased to the world the climate-related programmes implemented at the local level, and determined to national climate pledges.

She said the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL), for example, has its Climate Action Plan 2050 to set a baseline on addressing flooding and heatwaves while at the same time ensuring the cleanliness of the city and working together with the community.

"I would like to see Kuala Lumpur be cleaner, greener and safer with healthier and happier people living in the city," she said.

Furthermore, Maimunah said Malaysia should use the opportunity of being the Chair of ASEAN next year to showcase its best practices for climate change in Kuala Lumpur and other cities while learning from other ASEAN state members to address urban challenges.

"We can take this chance to learn from other ASEAN cities, exploring how they overcome challenges and implemented effective urban solutions. This would allow us to adopt and replicate successful strategies to enhance our own urban development initiatives," she said.

Malaysia's participation at COP29 aims to reinforce its commitment to the green economy as outlined in Budget 2025, to further drive the adoption of cleaner technologies and to attract sustainable investments to strengthen the country's leadership in green growth.

Malaysian delegation consists of more than 200 people led by Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Sustainability Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad.

The Malaysia Pavilion at COP29, themed 'Shift for Sustainability: Climate Action Now!', is spearheaded by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability (NRES) in collaboration with the Malaysian Green Technology and Climate Change Corporation (MGTC), as the implementing agency.

-- BERNAMA