Spotlight: Climate Finance
Climate finance refers to dedicating public and/or private financial resources to support climate change mitigation (which aims to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions), or adaptation (which helps build resiliency in the face of climate change). Climate finance can come from public sources, such as government or national and multilateral development banks, or from a growing array of private institutional investors and public-private institutions. Internationally, climate finance is one way to recognize that less-developed countries are often more vulnerable to climate change for which they are relatively less responsible and yet have fewer resources to address. Climate finance also refers to funding mechanisms to support the energy transition to net-zero emissions, such as clean technology development and related infrastructure. The 2015 Paris Agreement calls for developed country governments to commit to increasing climate finance commitments (currently USD $100 billion/year) at specified intervals, such as this year. Therefore, negotiating a “New Collective Quantified Goal” on Climate Finance is a major focus of the 2024 UN climate conference (COP29) in Azerbaijan.
Afghanistan must participate in future climate talks: Taliban
An Afghan official urges inclusion in future climate talks after Taliban's first COP29 attendance.
IRENA: Limiting global warming still possible, but G20 must step up
To achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, IRENA emphasizes the importance of aligning NDCs with national climate and energy transition goals.
Contentious COP29 deal casts doubt over climate plans
Baku's COP29 was crucial to boosting climate action across huge swathes of the world. It failed to deliver.
After a disappointing COP29, here’s how to design global climate talks that might actually work
Opinion: Reform COP talks to accelerate global climate action and overcome the slow, flawed process for meaningful change.
COP16 biodiversity talks to restart in February: UN
The last biodiversity meeting ended in November with no agreement on a roadmap to ramp up funding for species protection.
Most greenhouse gas emissions come from cities. Why not involve them in NDCs?
Collaboration between national and subnational governments — cities, states, and regions — can strengthen NDCs under the Paris Agreement.
‘Climate Impact Auctions’ a results-driven approach to climate finance
What if climate finance could make a bigger impact with fewer resources? This IRPP report proposes a results-based finance model.
Opinion: After nearly 10 years of debate, COP29’s carbon trading deal is seriously flawed
Negotiators at COP29 in Baku reached a landmark deal on carbon credit rules, but concerns remain about flaws in the system.
Miliband warns of ‘extreme’ climate change impacts in UK while defending COP29
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband warns climate change impacts in Britain will worsen without action, defending government emission targets.
COP29 president blames rich countries for ‘imperfect’ deal
The contentious deal on Sunday saw wealthy polluters pledge $300B annually to support developing countries.
