In another climate and money withdrawal, USA

Formalizing another withdrawal of climate aid and foreign aid programs, the Trump administration has told world financial institutions that the United States is withdrawing from the historic International Fund for Climate Damage.

Climate analysts on Monday (March 10) criticized the decision of the Treasury Department to formally withdraw the fund designed as compensation for contamination damage to polluting nations to poor countries especially for extreme storms, heat and drought caused by burning of coal, oil and gas. A treasure officer said in a letter last week that the members of the US Board Fund were renouncing, but did not give any reason for the retirement.

“It is a great pity to see the United States returning to its promises,” said Mohamed Adow, founder of Power Shift Africa and veteran of the United Nations climatic negotiations. “This decision will result in great suffering for some of the poorest and most vulnerable people in the world. These people have contributed less to the climatic emergency they are now living.”

The treasure did not immediately respond to an email in search of comments.

When the fund was agreed in 2022, then President Joe Biden promised that the United States, the world’s largest historical carbon dioxide issuer, would contribute with US $ 17.5 million. A dozen countries that have contaminated less: Australia, Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Spain, Sweden, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom, and the European Union have promised more than the United States.

The two largest promises, US $ 104 million, came from Italy and France. As of January, the loss and damage fund had US $ 741.42 million in promises, according to the United Nations.

“The Trump Administration’s Withdrawal from the loss and Damage Fund is Yet Another Cruel Action That Will Hurtable Climate Vulnerable Lower Inome Nations the Most,” Said Rachel Cleetus, Policy Director of the Climate and Energy program at the union of concertned scientists. Biggest contributing to global heat-trapping emissions is choking to punch down and walk away from its responsibility Toward Nations that have contributed the least to the climate crisis and yet are Bearing to unfair load of it. “

The poorest nations, often in the global south, had long framed the background as an environmental justice. It was an idea that the United States and many rich nations blocked until 2022, when they accepted creation, but insisted that they were not repairs.

“Three long decades and finally we have delivered climatic justice,” said Seve Paeniu, Tuvalu’s Minister of Finance, when the UN climatic negotiations established the background. “We have finally responded to the call of hundreds of millions of people around the world to help them address loss and damage.”

In its first 50 days, the Trump administration has eliminated or reduced funds for environmental justice at the national level, foreign aid, climate change and diversity, equity and inclusion. The president also began the one -year process to withdraw again from the historic Climate Agreement of Paris of 2015.

Earlier this month, the United States withdrew from a special climate agreement in which rich nations helps small nations to change to cleaner energy.