U.S. eyes shifts on climate payments, in possible breakthrough at summit
Source: Politico
The U.S. helped draft a proposal that calls for supplying such payments to developing countries, U.K. and European officials said late Friday night as text of a potential agreement circulated to reporters in this town on the Red Sea. Negotiations in the nearly two-week-long summit are continuing Saturday, a day after the original deadline.
Many details of the plan would still need to be worked out, including the exact mix of public and private funding that could go into a pot of money meant to help countries cope with the losses inflicted by climate change.
The proposal may still fail to satisfy critics from developing countries who say the U.S. is continuing to shirk its responsibility for all the greenhouse gases it has pumped into the atmosphere since the 19th century. Another potential sticking point is the U.S. insistence that China now the worlds top carbon polluter must be among the countries opening their wallets.
Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2022/11/19/u-s-eyes-shifts-on-climate-payments-in-possible-breakthrough-at-summit-00069584
Hugh_Lebowski
(33,643 posts)We need a lot less people on the planet (like ... half of what we have now, within 30-40 years), all living much simpler, more localized lives, with much lower 'standards of living'. Otherwise, the planet will fry.
If we're going to give money to the countries (that we've already totally fucked over in so many ways, for centuries, really), it must be targeted towards more sustainable infrastructure, not just handouts to be used however the leaders of these places see fit.
The money spent to 'keep people alive' all over the world is probably better spent on research/development, building nuclear power plants, some renewable ones, sea walls, flood control measures, etc. And if fusion really shows promise (a point on which I remain doubtful), we should put money into that.
oldsoftie
(12,410 posts)Hugh_Lebowski
(33,643 posts)And it's isn't going to be politically popular ... in the US, or any 1st world country.
Ask the people wiped out in FL by Ian what they think of government helping, say, Bangladesh ... instead of them?
The people in the poorer countries being most affected are on their own, just like they've always been. The 1st World will inevitably decide that they need their money to tend to the problems created by CC ... in their own countries.
This is a non-starter, quite frankly. I think the US is just paying lip service here.
oldsoftie
(12,410 posts)Bayard
(21,806 posts)China should be first in line to open their checkbooks. I also agree that funds should not just be thrown down a black hole in the receiving governments. Unless their underlying infrastructure problems are addressed, money is wasted. Kind of like in the U.S.
I also think the House will never release any such funding now.
speak easy
(9,101 posts)Dysfunctional
(452 posts)But trying to change the infrastructure that is failing won't help. What is needed is to move people to safer places. Of course, this will help for only a short time as climate change will keep getting worse.