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4 hours ago
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Donald Trump’s withdrawal of US overseas aid will almost decimate global climate finance from the developed world, data shows, with potentially devastating impacts on vulnerable nations.
The US was responsible last year for about $8 in every $100 that flowed from the rich world to developing countries, to help them cut greenhouse gas emissions and cope with the impacts of extreme weather, according to data from the analyst organisation Carbon Brief.
About $11bn was spent last year, and a similar amount would have been spent by the US on climate finance this year under a continuation of Joe Biden’s plans, the analysis found.
But among the first actions of Trump on resuming the US presidency, in a turbulent two months, have been to withdraw the US from the Paris climate agreement, and to eviscerate overseas aid efforts, of which climate finance is a part.
The White House has halted much of the funding to USAid, the government’s overseas aid agency that provides about a third of US climate finance, and contributions to the international Green Climate Fund and the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage.
Trump has also taken the US out of a Just Transition Energy Partnership with Indonesia, a programme worth tens of billions of dollars that was intended to end the use of coal. The White House has also begun a purge of climate references from government websites.
Campaigners told the Guardian these actions would have a major impact on the ability of poor countries to cope with extreme weather. Anne Jellema, the executive director of 350.org, told the Guardian: “The US retreat from its global climate finance commitments is a staggering blow to the chances of keeping global temperature rise to 1.5C [above preindustrial levels]. By abruptly axing nearly a tenth of the limited funds for climate protection in developing countries, it is effectively abandoning millions of communities who have done nothing to cause global heating but who are losing homes, livelihoods and lives because of it.”
She called on other countries to step up. “Now is the moment for wealthy nations to rise above politics and show real leadership. The world is watching, and the stakes have never been higher. We must act together to keep hope alive for a livable future.”
Trump’s newly formed “department of government efficiency”, headed by Elon Musk, has been firing USAid staff and ending shipments. Though some have been reinstated after controversy and court orders, Trump is likely to continue his efforts to cut all forms of aid, with climate a key target.
Under Trump’s last presidency, climate finance also fell sharply. This time, it is likely to fall further under the onslaught on all forms of government spending.
The US has long contributed far less to climate finance, proportionate to its status as the world’s biggest economy and biggest carbon emitter, than other developed countries. Though Joe Biden markedly increased the funds during his term, he faced a struggle with the Republican-dominated Congress to do so.
Climate finance is needed to help poor countries cope with the already evident impacts of the climate crisis, such as droughts, floods, heatwaves and storms. The developing world is sustaining hundreds of billions of dollars in damage as a result, with the effects expected to intensify further.
These countries are already spending large chunks of their existing domestic budgets patching up the damage and trying to improve their resilience, depriving them of funds needed for health, education and economic development.
Rich governments carry an obligation under the Paris agreement to provide funds to poor nations, which have done little to contribute to greenhouse gas emissions but bear the brunt of the damage.
Last November, at the annual conference of the parties (Cop) of the UNFCCC, all countries agreed that climate finance should reach $1.3tn a year by 2035. The bulk of this will come from the private sector, some is likely to come from charges on high-carbon activities such as shipping and aviation, and at least $300bn is to come from the developed world.
Without sizeable contributions from the US, the world’s biggest economy, those numbers are likely to be much harder to reach.
Harjeet Singh, founding director of the Satat Sampada Climate Foundation, said: “As the largest historical emitter, the US bears a significant share of the blame for the climate adversities affecting vulnerable populations worldwide. We must hold them accountable and ensure they contribute their fair share towards global climate reparations.”
Countries with rapidly growing economies that are still classed as developing under the UN, such as China, the United Arab Emirates, and other oil states, also contribute to climate finance. Pressure on those emerging economies to contribute more is also likely to grow, from developed areas such as the EU, as the US steps away and they face increasing demands for defence spending.
The US state department was approached for comment.
