A fight between rich and developing countries is holding up a key UN climate report

The publication of the report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has been "delayed" by "the fight between rich and developing countries over emission targets and financial aid to vulnerable countries", reports the Associated Press. The final report of the IPCC's Sixth Assessment Cycle (AR6) is a synthesis that brings together the findings of the August 2021 Climate Science Report, the February 2022 Climate Impacts Report and the April 2022 How to Address Climate Change Report, as well as previous "special reports". The summary report was supposed to be approved on Friday after a week-long approval meeting of the governments, reports the AP agency. The report said: "The deadline was repeatedly extended as representatives of major countries such as China, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, as well as the US and the European Union, argued over the weekend over the wording of key phrases in the text... An unusual process for countries to sign a scientific report, is to ensure that governments accept its conclusions as an authoritative recommendation on which to base their actions." According to Carbon Brief magazine, the report was approved on Sunday evening and is to be published today at 1:00 p.m. CET. (A detailed overview of the AR6 summary report will be published by Carbon Brief later this week). Politico reports that the delay in the release of the report is related to a "strike" by some scientists. Ahead of the report, the Guardian speaks to Samoa's prime minister, who calls on the world to take action. Fiame Naomi Mata'afa tells the Guardian: “We are all affected, but the degree of impact depends on the specific circumstances of the countries. So our low-lying atoll countries, it's right there, we live with it.” The Guardian also provides an explanation of what the AR6 summary report is and why it's important.