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Prime VIP
Commonwealth backs $10 bln climate adaptation fund
PORT OF SPAIN (Reuters) - Commonwealth leaders will lobby for an international climate deal that includes $10 billion for next year to help poor and vulnerable states fight the effects of global warming, the Maldives president said on Saturday.
Mohamed Nasheed, whose small Indian Ocean state risks being swamped by rising sea levels caused by climate change, said the proposal for such funding was part of a draft climate statement to be issued on Saturday by Commonwealth leaders meeting in Trinidad and Tobago.
"The Commonwealth is going to call for a reliable adaptation fund of $10 billion for next year, and 10 percent of that earmarked for small islands," Nasheed told Reuters in Port of Spain.
"We've just finalized the draft and I believe that the Commonwealth is going to adopt that," he added.
Leaders of the 53-nation Commonwealth have been seeking consensus for a comprehensive climate deal to be negotiated at U.N. talks in Copenhagen on Dec. 7-18. They were joined in their discussions on Friday by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the presidents of Denmark and France.
Nearly half of the Commonwealth's members are small island states which are directly threatened by rising sea levels caused by global warming, and developing nations are appealing for financial aid from rich governments to help them counter climate change and reduce carbon pollution.
Nasheed said the major developed countries of the Commonwealth -- Britain, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand -- had agreed to the idea of the $10 billion a year fund, which would go towards helping the poorest countries adapt to climate change with stronger sea and flood defenses, tackling deforestation and building new, cleaner energy sources.
"I believe the Commonwealth understands our predicament more than the others ... they have put concrete things on the table," the Maldives president said. On Friday, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown called for the creation of the $10 billion-a-year fund, arguing such financing should be made available as early as next year, well before any new climate deal takes effect.
The idea was also backed by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who along with Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen attended the Commonwealth summit in Trinidad and Tobago as invited guests to lobby on the climate issue.
While next month's U.N. talks in Copenhagen are not expected to result in the approval of a detailed climate treaty, U.N. chief Ban said a political deal to lay the foundation for such a legally binding accord was now "within reach."
The accord the United Nations is aiming for in Copenhagen would cover tougher emissions targets, climate financing for poorer nations and transfer of clean-energy technology.
The climate treaty, now expected to be adopted as a final text next year, will replace the Kyoto Protocol that expires in 2012.
PORT OF SPAIN (Reuters) - Commonwealth leaders will lobby for an international climate deal that includes $10 billion for next year to help poor and vulnerable states fight the effects of global warming, the Maldives president said on Saturday.
Mohamed Nasheed, whose small Indian Ocean state risks being swamped by rising sea levels caused by climate change, said the proposal for such funding was part of a draft climate statement to be issued on Saturday by Commonwealth leaders meeting in Trinidad and Tobago.
"The Commonwealth is going to call for a reliable adaptation fund of $10 billion for next year, and 10 percent of that earmarked for small islands," Nasheed told Reuters in Port of Spain.
"We've just finalized the draft and I believe that the Commonwealth is going to adopt that," he added.
Leaders of the 53-nation Commonwealth have been seeking consensus for a comprehensive climate deal to be negotiated at U.N. talks in Copenhagen on Dec. 7-18. They were joined in their discussions on Friday by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the presidents of Denmark and France.
Nearly half of the Commonwealth's members are small island states which are directly threatened by rising sea levels caused by global warming, and developing nations are appealing for financial aid from rich governments to help them counter climate change and reduce carbon pollution.
Nasheed said the major developed countries of the Commonwealth -- Britain, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand -- had agreed to the idea of the $10 billion a year fund, which would go towards helping the poorest countries adapt to climate change with stronger sea and flood defenses, tackling deforestation and building new, cleaner energy sources.
"I believe the Commonwealth understands our predicament more than the others ... they have put concrete things on the table," the Maldives president said. On Friday, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown called for the creation of the $10 billion-a-year fund, arguing such financing should be made available as early as next year, well before any new climate deal takes effect.
The idea was also backed by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who along with Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen attended the Commonwealth summit in Trinidad and Tobago as invited guests to lobby on the climate issue.
While next month's U.N. talks in Copenhagen are not expected to result in the approval of a detailed climate treaty, U.N. chief Ban said a political deal to lay the foundation for such a legally binding accord was now "within reach."
The accord the United Nations is aiming for in Copenhagen would cover tougher emissions targets, climate financing for poorer nations and transfer of clean-energy technology.
The climate treaty, now expected to be adopted as a final text next year, will replace the Kyoto Protocol that expires in 2012.
