Australia will rejoin the United Nations’ Green Climate Fund, which assists poorer countries to cope with global warming, Reuters reports, aiming to win over Pacific neighbours concerned about climate change.
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Set up in 2010 to finance climate projects in poorer countries, the Green Climate Fund (GCF) has approved $11 billion worth of projects in 129 countries, with some $3 billion already disbursed.
Australia joined the fund in 2014 and contributed approximately $200 million over four years before being pulled out after then-prime minister Scott Morrison in 2018, who stated the country would no longer “tip money into that big climate fund”.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong announced Australia would rejoin the fund with a “modest contribution” by the end of the year.
“We have taken on board feedback from our partners in the Pacific on the best ways to direct our climate finance efforts and ensure all elements deliver for Pacific priorities,” a government spokesperson said.
“We recognise that the GCF is the most prominent global climate finance fund, and we will work with partners to improve the GCF’s effectiveness.”
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The shift reflects the influence of Pacific Island nations at a time when Australia and the United States are trying to limit diplomatic inroads by China in the region.
