Without specifying how much it would provide to poor countries, the White House’s top climate official has promised that the US will “continue to be a leader” in climate finance.
John Podesta, who is the senior adviser to Joe Biden on international climate policy, also defended the large-scale US expansion of gas production, saying the world was fortunate America was strengthening its supply, given the demand for non-Russian sources after the invasion of Ukraine.
“The US is in a position to be a leader in the effort [to supply climate finance to the poorer world],” he said in an interview on Monday. “We intend to continue the leadership and be very aggressive in the negotiations during the course of this year.”
Podesta pointed to the chasm on the issue between Biden and Donald Trump, his challenger for president this November, who is expected to rein back on US climate commitments if elected.
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“Obviously, there’s a difference of views reflected in the two principal candidates running for president,” Podesta, who took over as chief adviser on the climate after John Kerry stepped down earlier this year was quoted as saying.
Speaking further, he said “President Biden is committed to not only doing what we need to do to cut our own emissions in half, but also support the world as it’s moving towards a more sustainable pathway.”
He did not say whether the US would commit greater sums to climate finance, but he said that it was on track to meet Biden’s commitment to provide $11bn, a target that campaigners and developing countries have said is woefully inadequate given the size of the US economy and its responsibility for past emissions, but is many times greater than the $1.5bn on offer under Trump in his previous term.
Podesta also defended the huge US expansion of oil and gas production, which has come in spite of its climate targets, and the recent US decision to slap tariffs on many green goods from China, including electric vehicles.
Story was adapted from the Guardian.
