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Climate Fund for Developing Nations
How much climate debt rich countries owe to poor countries? According to Oxfam, rich countries which created the climate crisis should provide at least $150bn per year to help poor countries reduce their emissions and adapt to a changing climate.
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US-Hungarian businessman George Soros gave a TV interview during COP15. Today, he unveiled a plan at the UN climate talks to free up to 100 billion dollars (68 billion euros) for poor countries to combat climate change and cope with its impacts.
Soros, one in a line of international notables visiting the 192-nation Copenhagen meeting, told reporters he had developed a partial solution on funding. The investor-philanthropist suggested shifting some International Monetary Fund resources from providing liquidity to stressed global financial systems to a new mission of financing projects in developing countries for clean energy and adapting to climate change.
About 100 billion dollars in a one-time infusion could be generated, said Soros, a major supporter of causes in the developing world.
But he acknowledged a major roadblock in Washington.
"It is possible to substantially increase the amount available to fight global warming in the developing world," he said. "All that is lacking is the political will. Unfortunately the political will will be difficult to gather because of the mere fact that it requires congressional approval in the United States."
Full article by Associated Press special correspondent Charles J Hanley, on Yahoo News.
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This comes as Sweden sais it will give 800 million euro (1.2 billion US dollars) to help developing nations fight climate change. Government spokeswoman Roberta Alenius says Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt will announce Sweden's donation to a European Union program for a so-called "fast-start" financing fund on Thursday.(full article on COP15 website)
The first comment in this story unveils more:
Uganda has already got from this money from the Danes. On the 8th Dec 2009, Denmark commited DKK 4,9 million (app. UGX 1,8 billion) for tree planting, environment and climate change mass awareness raising and improvement of rural livelihoods in Northern Uganda. The project will result in the planting of 4,400,000 trees, train 2600 people in conservation and climate adaptation and reach 1,000,000 people with an extended social change communication campaign around conservation and climate change.
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Now, I am writing this because I've seen the 'Danish text' shadowing everything these last two days. Nothing will make it disappear. Yes, it is wrong and rich countries should take responsibility and pay for emissions that allowed them to become what they are now, but at the same time, we should not forget the other side of the coin, underlined in the above pledges.
It's a start. Think about it.
Comments
Thank you Adela,
What you say here watch although all to center on reductions of emissions is very complicated.
If the States negotiated for the increase in new energies it would be easier.
The case of the USA would immediately be solved!
The money necessary would be easier to find!
Paul, Texas has the largest wind park in the world.
I think I’ve said it somewhere else, too, sustainable energies are great! but they’re not enough.
With developing countries, they need money for their survival, sustainable energies don’t help them.
I agree with the post. In my opinion the rich countries have caused the problem in the first place and are those that have to share the biggest burden. The above actions are positive but if US and EU countries refused to pay what they have to pay, there are futile
Our economy is in crisis with a strong reduction of the GDP.
China and India are in strong growth.
For India, this country counted 400 million inhabitants in 1950 and more than one billion today with Western technologies.
In this direction we paid.
For Africa we poured several Marshall plans. The money never arrives at the populations.
It is necessary to stop punishing the Occident.