November 25th, 2024
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact
Cara Cook, MS, RN, AHN-BC
Director of Programs
Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments
cara@envirn.org
585-469-2383
COP29 Climate Finance Goal Grossly Insufficient to Protect Health
[Washington, D.C] – The United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) negotiations wrapped in the early hours of Sunday November 24th. A major point of discussion at this year’s COP was the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG), an agreement on the amount of money that will be provided to the countries with constrained economies who are most impacted by climate change. This new NCQG would replace the original goal outlined by the Paris Agreement which was 100 billion per year starting in 2016 and extended until 2025. At the close of COP, wealthy countries pledged $300 billion per year by 2035. The Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments’ Executive Director, Katie Huffling, DNP, RN, CNM, FAAN issued the following statement:
“COP29 failed to deliver an outcome that prioritized health and justice by ensuring that countries that are bearing the burden of the climate crisis have the financing needed to adequately respond to climate-related impacts. The deal that was forced through, despite objections from countries in the Global South, is grossly inadequate, falling significantly short of the at least $1.3 trillion per year in public financing that nurses were calling for.
“In order for developing countries to build climate resilience, transition away from fossil fuels, and protect people’s health, the United States and historically large emitters must pay their fair share of climate finance. The Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments will continue to call for an increase in majority grants-based climate financing and for meaningful and ambitious action from developed countries.
“Unfortunately, the Biden administration did not release an updated National Determined Contribution (NDC), or updated emissions reduction commitment at COP29. With a looming lack of leadership on climate change from the incoming Trump Administration, nurses are calling on the Biden administration to announce an ambitious updated emissions reduction commitment at COP by the end of the year.”
###
The Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments is the only national nursing organization focused solely on the intersection of health and the environment. The mission of the Alliance is to promote healthy people and healthy environments by educating and leading the nursing profession, advancing research, incorporating evidence-based practice, and influencing policy.
