Financial Sector to Help Mobilize $200 Billion to Fight Climate Change in Developing Countries
New UN report says investment in climate change adaptation can help promote the ivelihoods of 65 per cent of Africans.
Photo: UNEP
23 September 2014 – Governments, investors and financial institutions today pledged to mobilize $200 billion by the end
of next year for low-carbon programmes in developing countries, giving a significant boost to the United Nations goal of
reaching $100 billion annually by 2020.
“This will serve as a catalyst in finalizing a universal and meaningful agreement at Paris on climate change in 2015,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said as he hosted the largest ever summit of world leaders on climate change at UN Headquarters in New York to prepare the ground for a global accord at a summit in the French capital in December
next year.
Today’s agreement combines public and private financing, including pledges by donor and developing countries to
capitalize the Green Climate Fund aimed at helping developing countries shoulder the burden of slashing emissions.
“The Summit has created a platform for new coalitions and has brought leaders from both public and private sectors
across the globe to not only recognize climate risks, but to agree to work together,” Mr. Ban said of today’s gathering.
The private sector announcements were made by an unprecedented coalition of financial institutions, pension funds,
insurance companies, development banks and commercial banks which had never previously acted together on climate change
at such a large scale.
The Summit also marked a major advance in efforts by Governments and businesses to set a price on greenhouse gas
emissions, a step that offers investors and consumers an accurate reflection of the true cost of goods and services.
More than 50 countries and 500 companies endorsed the need for developing mechanisms that would adequately reflect the
true costs relating to pollution and emissions.
In a major departure from the climate negotiations and previous climate summits, the business community and civil
society are playing a major role. There were 181 representatives from the business and investment community, including
90 chief executive officers. There were 52 business and investors from developing countries. In addition, there were
dozens of civil society representatives.
ENDS