US STANCE:US SECRETARY of state Hillary Clinton made it clear yesterday that the US contribution to a fund of $100 billion (€69.8 billion) a year for poorer countries by 2020 was conditional on them being more open about how they are tackling climate change.
Speaking after arriving from Washington on a bitterly cold day in Copenhagen, she said the demand for transparency from major emerging economies such as China and India was a “deal-breaker” for the US.
However, Mrs Clinton did not specify how much the US would contribute to long-term financing for developing countries to help them cope with the impact of global warming and put their economies on an environmentally sustainable growth path.
This was noted by UN climate chief Yvo de Boer, who told a press briefing he was “looking keenly forward” to hearing what the US contribution would be. But he welcomed the fact that this was the first time the US had put forward an overall figure.
Mrs Clinton indicated that the money was likely to be raised from a mix of public and private sources and would have “a significant focus on forestry and adaption, particularly for the poorest and most vulnerable countries” in the frontline of global warming.
Greenpeace International climate policy adviser Martin Kaiser said the announcement had “signalled that the US position . . . can be moved”, although it was still seeking an “operational accord” in Copenhagen rather than a legally binding one.
Alden Meyer of the Union of Concerned Scientists was more positive, saying the US secretary of state’s offer could be a “game changer” for the Copenhagen summit. “The key issue, of course, is what portion of this $100 billion per year will be public finance.”
Jennifer Morgan of the Washington-based World Resources Institute said countries would be seeking more details. “The world will need further clarification on the specifics, particularly whether this money will be additional to current funding, but this is a solid first step.”
Making her announcement, Mrs Clinton said the US was “prepared to work with other countries to mobilise $100 billion by 2020 to address climate change needs in developing countries”, but in the context of all major economies providing “full transparency”.
Using a carrot-and-stick approach, she said: “Without that agreement, there will not be that financial commitment, at least from the US.”
Any “backing away from transparency” – by China, in particular – would be “a deal-breaker for the United States”, she stressed.
Mrs Clinton said climate change was undeniably “one of the most urgent global challenges of our time and it requires a global solution”. And while it was “no secret that we lost precious time” from procedural wrangling in Copenhagen, the world was now “at a critical juncture”.
Quoting a Chinese proverb, “when you’re in a common boat, you have to cross the river peacefully together”, she appealed for an end to “us versus them” stand-offs between developed and developing nations. Instead, all countries must “raise our oars and row together”.
Asked about rumours that US president Barack Obama would not be coming to Copenhagen today, Mrs Clinton said: “The president is planning to come . . . Obviously, we hope he will have something to come for.” This was interpreted by some as a threat.