World not listening to us, laments Kenyan climate scientist at COP29

Baku: Being an expert on global warming from an African nation prone to disaster can depress Joyce Kimutai during the creaking COP climate summits, wh...

Baku: Being an expert on global warming from an African nation prone to disaster can depress Joyce Kimutai during the creaking COP climate summits, where politics often drowns out science.

"If the world was listening to science, maybe we wouldn't be doing these COPs," the 36-year-old Kenyan climate scientist told AFP on the sidelines of this year's UN forum in Azerbaijan.

"We are very slow in how we take our action. We are afraid of taking bold steps. And I do not understand why."

As the conference approaches its second week, the world is no closer to agreeing to increase much-needed assistance for climate-vulnerable countries across Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Without this money, developing countries say they will struggle to move to clean energy, and adapt as climate shocks intensify.