UNEP official admits to “slow pace” of release of climate funds

A United Nations official has admitted that climate financing for small countries, including those in the Caribbean Region, has been extremely slow, but has given his assurance that this could change in the future.
UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Caribbean Sub-Regional Office Head, Vincent Sweeney made this statement at a recently-held climate change workshop in Guyana.
While much work has been done to develop policies to respond to the threat of climate change, particularly in small Caribbean States, Sweeney again admitted that implementation was lacking.
“I can feel the frustration with how things move forward,” the UNEP official said, explaining that there was actually a lot more finances available now than ever before.
He used the Green Climate Fund as an example where there was concrete funding for countries.
In some cases, according to him, funds have been approved for large projects, which could be used as a stepping stone to moving forward with plans to fight climate change. He said, “So, I think we are at a better stage than we were years ago and the increasing awareness will see more sectors getting on board and seeing climate change as an entry point for financing.”
Commenting further, Sweeney said that some of the difficulties experienced in various sectors in terms of raising funds could in some cases be linked to climate change.
Many non-traditional sectors are now using climate change as an access route for financing. One example is the water sector, which is now linking some of its vulnerabilities to climate change – not only droughts but floods and the impact on water infrastructure.
“I agree that we should be concerned with the way at which funding is being made available by the international community to the regions, but the fact remains, more funds are available than it ever was.”
Speaking specifically about the Paris Agreement, which solidified a global effort to tackle climate change, Sweeney said that although the United States has pulled out, a majority of countries would stick with the Agreement.

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo has called on Caribbean leaders, including President David Granger, to represent the interests of the Region with the US Government, following its pull-out.
On the other hand, Minister of State, Joseph Harmon had said in anticipation of America’s withdrawal, there might be a regroup by the international community in order to have a fresh look at the commitments that were made under the agreement before moving forward.
The pull-out, according to experts, has serious implications for many poor countries, and it could stymie the progress already made in the fight against climate change and place the global community in a more unrealistic position to meet the goals set out in the Paris Agreement.
US President Donald Trump said part of the reason his country decided to pull out of the Green Climate Fund, is because it costs the US “billions of billions of billions” of dollars.
The Green Climate Fund is a programme birthed in 2010 under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to address the disproportionate burden climate change is placing on the developing world. Developed countries make a pledged contribution to the Fund, which will go towards preparing developing nations for climate change and helping them keep their greenhouse gas emissions low. However, none of this is enforceable, and the pledges are voluntary.
Nations throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa and Asia contributed the least to climate change, yet they will see its worst impacts. Countries in the Caribbean are already experiencing floods caused by rising temperatures, receding coastlines and disastrous storms.
However, the developed world, which includes the US, China and parts of Europe, contributed the most to climate change through carbon emissions.
The US has pledged US$3 billion, and former President Barack Obama contributed the first US$1 billion before leaving office, so US$2 billion remains outstanding.