Climate Home News, 15th June 2018
Germany is expected to start a drive to replenish the Green Climate Fund (GCF) at a meeting of ministers and climate negotiators in Berlin next week.
The fund is central to delivering the rich world commitment to mobilise $100 billion a year by 2020 in climate finance to developing countries.
It is approaching the end of its $10bn in start-up contributions all the more quickly since US president Donald Trump reneged on $2bn of that sum, pledged under his predecessor Barack Obama. Trump’s backsliding has put pressure on the EU and other developed countries to fill the funding gap.
Top officials from 30-35 developed and developing countries will attend the Petersberg Climate Dialogue from Sunday to Tuesday. The forum, hosted by Germany for the ninth year, offers a space to thrash out political issues that can make or break the UN climate negotiations.
Participants are not likely to arrive in Berlin ready to pledge new cash, a spokesperson at the German environment ministry told Climate Home News. But the hosts will prompt them to unlock funds from their domestic budgets to keep the GCF going.