Papua New Guinea’s leaders have withdrawn from this month’s COP29 U.N. climate summit, after slamming pledges by the world’s biggest polluters as “empty talk.” Foreign Minister Justin Tkatchenko said, “We will no longer tolerate empty promises and inaction, while our people suffer the devastating consequences of climate change. … If we must cut down our forests to sustain ourselves and develop our economy, so be it.” Papua New Guinea says it will instead seek to forge bilateral climate agreements with other nations.