LONDON • Getting wealthy nations to honour their United Nations climate fund pledges this week will "be a stretch", British Prime Minister Boris Johnson admitted ahead of a meeting yesterday with global leaders aiming to do just that.
At the 2009 Copenhagen climate conference, rich nations promised to provide annual funding of US$100 billion (S$135 billion) from last year, for poorer nations to counteract the effects of climate change.
The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has said progress has been "disappointing", with developing countries receiving US$79.6 billion in 2019.
"I think getting it all done this week is going to be a stretch," Mr Johnson told reporters as he headed to New York on Sunday to attend the UN General Assembly, according to PA news agency.
He added that he saw the chances of getting it done before the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow in November as "six out of 10". "It's going to be tough but people need to understand that this is crucial for the world," he said.
He added that there were "real signs of progress" from China, the world's biggest emitter of carbon dioxide, even as COP26 president Alok Sharma said on Sunday that Chinese President Xi Jinping had not yet confirmed his attendance at the conference.
Mr Johnson will convene a meeting of leaders along with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to address major gaps in emissions targets and climate finance.
The closed-door meeting on the sidelines of the General Assembly will include leaders from a few dozen countries representing industrialised nations, emerging economies and vulnerable developing countries, said Mr Selwin Hart, assistant secretary-general and special adviser to Mr Guterres on climate action.
Mr Johnson said in a tweet: "We only have a short time left. World leaders must deliver on their climate commitments ahead of @COP26."
The UN climate fund is the main financing tool for the Paris Agreement, which calls for capping the rise in global temperatures at "well below" 2 deg C, and 1.5 deg C if possible. The treaty calls for billions of dollars annually for poor nations already coping with floods, heatwaves, rising seas and superstorms made worse by climate change.
A UN analysis of country pledges under the Paris climate agreement released last week said that under current national pledges, global emissions would be 16 per cent higher in 2030 than they were in 2010 - far off the 45 per cent reduction by 2030 that scientists say is needed to stave off disastrous climate change.
A report released last Friday by the OECD said that rich countries likely missed a goal to contribute US$100 billion last year to helping developing nations deal with climate change, after increasing funding by less than 2 per cent in 2019.
The UN expects to hear updates from some of the major economies on how they will strengthen their emissions reduction targets and clarity around how to hit the US$100 billion goal.
As well as attending the General Assembly, Mr Johnson will visit the White House on his trip, days after the announcement of a new US-Australia-Britain security pact caused a deep rift with ally France. He will also meet Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, known for his scepticism about climate change, and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
Asked if he would challenge Mr Bezos on how much tax Amazon pays in the United Kingdom and workers' rights, Mr Johnson said he "certainly" would. "But I will also be congratulating him on his massive forestry initiative. He's putting a huge amount into planting trees around the world."
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS
