Government pledges for global climate fund reach about $10B

PARIS — Governments have pledged nearly $10 billion toward an international fund meant to help poor nations tackle climate change will reach, France’s finance minister said.

Bruno Le Maire, speaking at a conference in Paris set to replenish the Green Climate Fund, said “it’s a great success” that he attributed largely to European countries, noting that almost half of the amount is being provided by France, Germany and Britain alone.

“Many countries will double their contributions and bring twice more than what they had given at the creation of the fund,” Le Maire said.

US President Donald Trump’s decision to withhold $2 billion of the $3 billion pledged by his predecessor, Barack Obama, has contributed to a shortfall at the fund that other countries have struggled to fill.

The meeting takes place a little over a month before the UN’s annual climate conference, which will be held in Santiago, Chile, this year.

The South Korea-based fund provides the money it collects to programs helping developing countries reduce their emissions and cope with the impacts of climate change.