Rich Nations Failing To Keep Copenhagen Promises

Research

Recent research shows that developed nations

are failing to keep the promise they made last year

to provide adequate finance to help the world’s

poorest countries adapt to the impacts of climate change.

This research includes a five point plan to enable developed nations to fulfill their pledges and build the trust needed to advance the next session of UN climate change negotiations which will begin on 29th  November in  Cancun, Mexico
 “In last December’s climate summit in Copenhagen the developed countries committed to provide developing nations with US$30 billion between 2010 and 2012, with the money balanced between funding for mitigation and adaptation projects,” says Achala Chandani of IIED. “Our research shows that the developed countries have failed to meet their responsibility to help poorer nations.”
 The research shows that funding pledges made since the Copenhagen meeting are far from balanced, with very little earmarked for projects that would enable developing nations to enhance their resilience to climate-change impacts on agriculture, infrastructure, health and livelihoods.
“Only US$3 billion has been formally allocated for adaptation,” says Dr Saleemul Huq of IIED. “There is also a danger that some of this could come in the form of loans which would further indebt already poor nations and force them to pay to fix a problem that the developed nations created.”
 The researchers warn that it is also unclear how the money will be disbursed, what type of projects it will support, and how the global community will be able to track adherence to pledges and ensure that the funding is truly new and additional to existing aid budgets.