In response to the Biden-Harris Administration's most recent pledge of $3 billion in new contributions toward the Green Climate Fund, Ashlee Thomas, Oxfam America’s Senior Climate Policy Advisor, said:
“The pledge to the Green Climate Fund is a positive and crucial step in supporting Global South countries and communities to secure access to clean energy and protect themselves from extreme weather. While the U.S. pledge of $3 billion is very welcome, it is much lower as a proportion of its economy than other wealthy countries like the UK, Germany, and France. This follows a pattern of disappointing U.S. climate funding commitments after their announcement of $17.5 million to the loss and damage fund, which was less than a fifth of the pledges by the UAE and Germany.
“As the largest historical emitter and the world’s wealthiest country, the U.S. must lead the way and prioritize a rapid and just transition towards renewable energy and equitable climate policies. The Green Climate Fund and the loss and damage fund are central to this cooperative effort — and now, more than ever, President Biden and Congress must meet this moment with robust, consistent, and sufficient financing so that the U.S. does its fair share to address the global climate crisis."
/ENDS
Notes to editors:
The scale of the climate finance currently on offer is miniscule – the $100 billion goal is 18-37 times lower than the actual amounts required by lower-income countries.