Last week, Argentina's climate-skeptic president, Javier Milei, ordered his negotiators to abruptly leave the COP29 talks taking place in Baku, Azerbaijan, where countries are hashing out a deal on new financing targets for climate action.

Milei, who has described climate change as a "socialist lie," has made it clear that environmental concerns are far down his list of priorities.

Since taking office in December last year, he has downgraded Argentina's Environment Ministry to a subsecretariat, removed a fund for forest protection and passed a law that would further boost the oil and gas sector.

Now there are worries that the far-right leader will pull his country out of the Paris Climate Agreement, following in the footsteps of his ally, US President-elect Donald Trump.

Trump has said he wants to walk out on the international treaty, which aims to limit global average temperature rise to well below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit), for a second time once he re-enters the White House.

The withdrawal of Argentina from the COP29 summit implies that the country it is out of any current negotiations, including talks on potential energy transition or adaptation funds, said Maria Victoria Emanuelli, Buenos-Aires based Latin America campaign director of environmental NGO 350.org.

Emanuelli described the decision as "erratic and unpredictable" and said it could cost Argentina a considerable sum needed for climate action and ultimately harm the poorest in society.

"The........

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