16 December 2009
Copenhagen climate talks: responding to Hilary Clinton, US Secretary of State’s announcement today, Tearfund’s Advocacy Director Paul Cook said: ‘The proposal for $100 billion per year from developed countries for climate finance from 2020 is a welcome shift in position, potentially the game changing news we are looking for. However, it needs to go still further in scale, less conditionality and clarity on the sources and the US’ contribution.
‘Tearfund believes at least $200 billion per year is needed from 2020, which must be primarily from public sources and genuinely additional to current aid commitments. We therefore welcome this announcement from the US, but urge other parties to engage with it and push for more. With only 48 hours left to seal a strong, fair and binding climate deal we need developed countries like the US to do more by tabling sums of money that reflect their historic and moral responsibility to protect the millions of people in poor countries currently bearing the brunt of runaway climate change.’