PM Johnson urges world leaders to fulfil climate finance pledges

UNITED NATIONS • British Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged leaders of the world's major economies, including the United States, to deliver on their commitments towards a US$100 billion (S$135 billion) per year climate fund, with less than six weeks to go before a United Nations climate summit.

Mr Johnson and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres hosted a roundtable meeting of world leaders on Monday to address major gaps on emissions targets and climate finance.

"Too many major economies - some represented here today, some absent - are lagging too far behind," Mr Johnson said. "I will stress that again - for this to be a success, we need developed countries to find that US$100 billion."

The closed-door meeting during the annual high-level week of the UN General Assembly included leaders and representatives from a few dozen countries representing industrialised nations, emerging economies and vulnerable developing countries.

Those involved in the roundtable meeting included the US, China, India, European Union nations as well as Costa Rica, the Maldives and a mix of developing and middle-income countries and industrialised nations.

Mr Johnson told reporters he is hopeful the US can deliver on a promise to step up its share of money towards the US$100 billion annual goal, but "we have been here before" and "we are not counting our chickens".

US climate envoy John Kerry, who was at Monday's meeting, said Washington would deliver more climate aid ahead of the Oct 31 to Nov 12 COP26 Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland.

"The United States is crucially important," Mr Johnson said. "It will send a massively powerful signal to the world."

Mr Guterres told reporters after the meeting that he heard "encouraging declarations" about raising financial support to help developing countries deal with climate change.

One UN official described the discussions as "brutally honest" about expectations for the summit, and that there "was a collective sense of 'we are in trouble' ".

The roundtable discussion aimed to ensure a successful outcome at the conference, even as reports show that major economies are far off track on their emission reduction goals and climate finance commitments.

A UN analysis of country pledges under the Paris agreement on climate released last Friday showed that 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.

REUTERS