November 14, 2014
Washington DC – Shortly after announcing a new bilateral climate deal between the US and China, President Obama is expected to commit $3 billion to the Green Climate Fund at the G20 Summit this weekend.
CIEL’s Climate & Energy Program Director, Niranjali Amerasinghe, said:
The US has obligations to lead in the fight against climate change, to make the planet safe for present and future generations. A pledge of $3 billion to the Green Climate Fund is an important and welcome step, but so much more is needed to support vulnerable communities facing the worst impacts of climate change.
We’re not talking about addressing a problem that needs a few billion dollars here and there. Estimated figures of what is needed to meaningfully support developing countries as they mitigate and adapt to climate change are in the hundreds of billions per year. $3 billion dollars over four years from the world’s largest historical emitter of greenhouse gas emissions simply isn’t enough. The US can and must do more.