Jennifer Morgan

Two years behind schedule, the world's richest nations have finally met a long-standing commitment to provide their developing countries with US$100 billion worth of financing to respond to the climate emergency. But with needs now reaching trillions of dollars, they will need to scale their investments even further.

The mood is about to shift, the hours grow longer and the already high sense of urgency somehow amp up even more as the United Nations climate summit heads into its final week.

Negotiators at a critical United Nations climate conference prepared on Wednesday to wrap up their first week of work with moderate progress on some issues, with little time to make a bit more headway before government ministers return for a final week that will shape the planet's path forward in the face of crisis.

After a first-day blur of rare quick action and agreement, negotiators at a critical United Nations climate summit on Wednesday finished up their first week in a more familiar place for them: the murky middle where momentum and roadblocks intertwine.

“There's all sorts of reasons why it's challenging for governments to deliver on commitments, so that's the person who ultimately is cracking the whip, saying we've got to get this done faster," says former federal environment and climate change minister Catherine McKenna.

With world leaders set to descend on Dubai for the UN's annual climate change negotiations, new figures about climate finance from rich to poor countries could help land an agreement, experts say. But there's still a long way to go.

Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg slammed corporate bigwigs meeting in Davos, Switzerland for “fuelling the destruction of the planet” by investing in fossil fuels and prioritizing short-term profits over people affected by the climate crisis.

It's half-way time at the U.N. climate talks in Egypt, with negotiators still working on draft agreements before ministers arrive next week to push for a substantial deal to fight climate change.

Canada is announcing millions of dollars in new climate finance for developing countries. But advocates warn symbolic donations are no replacement for the new financial tools delegates are negotiating at COP27.

While world leaders from wealthy countries acknowledge the “existential threat” of climate change, Tuvalu Prime Minister Kausea Natano is racing to save his tiny island nation from drowning.

Germany remains committed to phasing out coal as a source of power by 2030 even as it reactivates coal-fired power plants, the country's climate envoy said on Monday, September 19, 2022. Germany says it took the step to get through the coming winter amid energy shortages as a result of Russia’s war in Ukraine.

With the world reeling from the economic fallout of the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, senior officials from 40 countries met on Monday, July 18, 2022, in Berlin for heart−to−heart talks on how to stay focused on fighting climate change and addressing its impact.

Only about half the funds required are being provided by rich countries, according to a report by Oxfam.

Negotiations at COP26 are down to the wire, however Environment and Climate Change Minister Steven Guilbeault says an agreement on loss and damage funding for developing nations hurt by global warming is in sight.

With each tide, Abdus Satter watches the sea erode a little more of his life.