NEW YORK — Nations pledged $1.3 billion toward a United Nations fund designed to help developing countries adapt to the effects of climate change, but the program is still far short of its $10 billion goal for the year.
Observers had hoped some countries would step up to fully stock the Green Climate Fund, which nations created in 2010. They were left disappointed Tuesday as the new contributions brought total funding to $2.3 billion as officials left the U.N. climate summit.
“After four long years, the cash is starting to land in the Green Climate Fund, albeit at little more than a trickle. All eyes are now on those yet to pony up, including the U.S., U.K., Australia, Canada, Japan and New Zealand, and on the devil in the details of those pledges made today,” said Tim Gore, head of climate policy with Oxfam.
The Green Climate Fund wants industrial and post-industrial nations responsible for a bulk of the historical emissions that scientists say have driven climate change to assist emerging economies that must deal with those effects but have few resources to do so. It aims to raise $100 billion by 2020.
France contributed the most Tuesday when it committed $1 billion. Other contributors included Switzerland and South Korea, which both pitched in $100 million. Norway said it would send $33 million to the fund, while Denmark put down $70 million.
But the program has been poorly funded, and its targets have been less ambitious than hoped. Potential beneficiaries had asked for a goal of $15 billion by the end of the year, but the fund settled on $10 billion earlier this month.
Leaders of developing, island and African nations pleaded with developed nations to fully fund the program.
Guyana President Donald Ramotar said there has been an “erosion of trust” between developing and other nations since international negotiations broke down in 2009 in Copenhagen, which he attributed partly to the dearth of money in the fund.
Malawi President Peter Mutharika said countries should make more grants — not loans — available to developing countries to more quickly adapt to the strains they are feeling from climate change.
“Adaptation and mitigation are both crucial, but adaptation should take priority over other problems,” he said at the summit.
