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Rich countries do not respect the agreement with poor countries for climate aid

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  • Helen Ekker

    Climate and Energy editor

  • Helen Ekker

    Climate and Energy editor

Rich countries pay poor countries insufficiently to deal with the consequences of climate change, Oxfam Novib said in a report. According to the organization, countries are thus ignoring an agreement made more than a decade ago globally. The money poor countries receive is often provided in the form of loans rather than gifts.

Thirteen years ago, rich countries pledged to make $ 100 billion a year available for climate finance from 2020 onwards. The fact that this will not be achieved is an important point of discussion at the next climate conference in Egypt next month. Officially, more than 83 billion dollars became available in 2020, recently reported the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development).

Some of this was provided by governments in the form of export credits and corporate investments. According to Oxfam Novib, the figure mentioned in this regard (over 68 billion dollars) is incorrect. If you look at the real value of those commitments, it’s between $ 21 billion and more than $ 24 billion, Oxfam says. The rest are not gifts, but loans.

‘Loans just matter’

But according to Pieter Pauw of Eindhoven University of Technology, an expert in climate finance, it was agreed that loans also count. “At the climate summit in Poland in 2018, it was established that loans are also allowed and that you can include them in full,” he explains. “A loan where possible is wise, because then the money can be reissued after repayment.”

For him, this is especially true for investments in renewable energy in less poor developing countries. Also, Oxfam is not against lending, says Zagema. But truly poor countries cannot repay loans and then get even more debt. According to Oxfam, it is also important that government money goes specifically to poor countries. They have to adapt to the consequences of climate change and it is difficult to find an income model for companies.

Pakistan

“Look at Pakistan now. There has been a lot of rain, which has to do with climate change. As the country has not prepared enough for the increased amount of rain that can fall today, the water stays on for a long time. , that country will have better drainage. You can’t make money with that, it costs money specifically, “says Zagema.

The fact that the 100 billion mark is not reached, regardless of the discussion about gifts or loans, is a bad thing, says Pauw. “It puts pressure on trust between rich and poor countries and reduces the chances of success at the next climate summit in Sharm el-Sheikh.” This also hampers discussions on reducing CO2 emissions.

Negotiations

The current climate finance agreement applies for the years 2020-2025. It was agreed in the Paris climate agreement that a new and even higher target for climate finance should be set by 2025. Negotiations on this will take place at the next Sharm el-Sheikh summit.

Incidentally, the Netherlands has recently increased their contribution to climate aid. The government wants to spend € 900 million on public climate finance by 2025. The government will also try to revive business investment. Together, the Dutch contribution could amount to 1.8 billion euros in 2025. Part of that money comes from the budget of the Ministry of Development Cooperation.

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