The United States risks marginalizing developing countries hardest hit by the climate crisis after providing only a fraction of the funding promised by Congress. Joe Biden To help poor countries adapt to worsening storms, floods and droughts.
Biden pledged $11.4 billion annually to help developing countries mitigate the impacts of climate change and transition to renewable energy. Massive $1.7 Trillion Spending Bill to Keep U.S. Government RunningLess than $1 billion in climate aid to those countries passed the Senate on Thursday.
The bill, which will pass the House of Representatives and be signed by the President, includes $270 million for adaptation programs primarily targeted at countries in Asia and the Pacific islands, and $260 million for Africa. million dollars of clean energy investments are included. In addition, he said $185 million will be spent on the “Sustainable Landscape Program.”
Biden’s failure to deliver on his promises so far risks undermining the White House’s claim that the US is committed to addressing the effects of the climate crisis, which is a major instigator. There is a $340 billion To 2 trillion dollars According to various studies, by 2030, to address the cascading effects of global warming,
Salimul Haq, director of the Bangladesh-based International Center for Climate Change and Development, said the equitable distribution of US climate change aid has gone far beyond what Biden promised. “So $1 billion is an insult to developing countries,” he said. “The meager allocation of just $1 billion to help developing countries is very disappointing.”
U.S. environmental groups welcomed elements of the spending bill, including significant increases in the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of the Interior budgets, and $600 million for water infrastructure in Jackson, Mississippi, but a clear lack of climate change action. are criticizing
“The level of funding for international climate assistance will do its fair share to meet our global commitments and help resource-poor countries bearing the brunt of climate impacts. It’s woefully inadequate,” said Sarah Chieffo, vice president for government affairs at the Conservation Voters League. .
The Biden administration has made climate change spending a priority, sending US special envoy for climate John Kerry to lobby. Mr. Biden and Mr. Kerry attended the United Nations Cop 27 climate change conference in Egypt last month and pledged more support from the United States. “The climate crisis is hitting countries and communities with the least resources to respond and recover the hardest,” said Biden. his speech to the delegation at the summitrepeated his promise to withdraw the necessary money from Congress.
Administration officials have said the goal is to provide assistance by 2024 and that funding could come from sources other than direct budgets from Congress. Republicans, who won a majority, have largely rejected the idea of providing more help for climate damage, making this far less likely to happen.
A White House spokeswoman said the $11 billion target was “This is a top priority for us and critical to the success of President Biden’s climate policy. And the president has made it clear that he intends to fight to make sure this is fully funded.
“Over the past few weeks and over the last weekend, members of the Administration have worked to secure funding for fiscal year 2023 and have embarked on a path to achieving this goal. We will continue to work with Congress to achieve our goals.”
