Developing nations raise the issue of 'lost decade'

MADRID: Nearly 500,000 people took to the streets of Madrid calling on governments to take immediate steps to address climate change even as negotiators spent the weekend working to arrive at possible compromises in issues still outstanding after one week of talks.

“In Madrid, we just had the biggest environmental march in our history,” said Mario Rodríguez Vargas, executive director of Greenpeace Spain. “This massive, peaceful demonstration of the peoples’ power must drive negotiations towards ambition that matches what the science demands to prevent the runaway climate emergency. We will not accept delays or deceit.”

Negotiators at the UN Climate Change Conference COP 25, which will end on December 13, are working round the clock to resolve differences over issues such as carbon markets that would help the world slow down global warming.


With the focus being on action and increasing the efforts by all countries to reduce carbon emission, developing countries such as India, China, Argentina and Brazil have raised the issue of “lost decade” between 2010 and 2019.

Failure of rich industrialised countries to meet their obligation and provide developing countries with finance and technology is at the heart of the climate crisis, these countries said. They pointed to assessments showing that developed countries are not on track to achieve the required reduction of 25-40% in emissions from 1990 levels by 2020.

In an official proposal, several developing countries, including many G-20 members, said the industrialised countries must fulfil their commitments by 2023.

In other developments in the talks, developing countries objected to continued efforts by the US to shape the global policy on climate change.