All week we’ve been urging supporters across Europe to email their leader to make sure that the European Union (EU) agrees how much they will give for climate adaptation financing. That’s giving poor countries money to help them cope with the effects of climate change, to you and me.
Today was the EU leaders’ last chance to make that agreement before they pack their bags for the Copenhagen Climate Change Summit in December. And it seems that a deal has been done.
But, as with a lot of these things, there is quite a lot of devil in the detail. Under their criteria, they indicated that the total global adaptation fund should be between €22 - €50 billion per year. Oxfam reckons that the fund needs to be at least €110 billion per year if developing countries are going to be able to cope with the impacts of a changing climate.
The EU has decided that their contribution to this fund should be between €7 and €10 billion per year. Oxfam is calling for Europe to provide at least €35 billion in public finance (money from governments) - alongside a comparable contribution from the US and other rich countries. While today’s announcement is well below par this definitely is a step in the right direction.
It shows that the EU - one of the world’s largest historical polluters - is prepared to put real numbers on the table. That’s essential if we are to get the right deal in Copenhagen. This number is based (according to the EU) on their fair share of global responsibility and capability to pay. That’s an important principle.
On top of the EU’s figures, there was no indication that the money offered would be new money and not taken from existing aid commitments. Essentially this is threatening the world’s poorest countries with a choice between building flood defenses and building schools.
Public pressure is clearly having an impact and focusing minds. But we still have a long way to go if we are to get the right deal when the world comes together in Copenhagen.
Let Gordon Brown know that you want him to ‘Deliver the Deal’
Everything you need to know about Copenhagen: Copenhagen 101.
Tags: climate adaptation, climate change, Copenhagen, EU
