$100B global climate finance goal three years behind schedule: report
The world's wealthiest countries didn't meet a decade-old goal to provide the developing world with US$100 billion in climate aid by 2020 and won't actually get there for another two years, a new analysis showed Monday.
The news is expected to cast a pall over next week's United Nations COP26 climate talks in Scotland. The meeting is meant to finalize the rule book for meeting the 2015 Paris climate change targets, and lay out more ambitious plans to slow global warming.
It was also supposed to start the talks to see developed countries go above the $100-billion-a-year mark in contributions after 2025 to help developing countries and small-island states meet, adapt to and mitigate against climate change.
Those nations are often the most impacted by climate change, but are the least responsible for the global emissions causing global warming to date. Many only agreed to join the Paris agreement in 2015 because of the climate finance pledge made by the wealthiest nations in the world.
Harjeet Singh, a senior adviser at Climate Change Action Network International, said climate finance is "fundamental" and the missed targets for aid are going to erode the trust between the developed world and everyone else.
"What has been delivered today is a delayed plan," he said in a media briefing Monday. "And then we expect developing countries to come up with a plan where they are going to change their policies for greener development. How can that happen?"
The climate finance plan outlined Monday is the result of a collaboration between Canadian Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson and Germany's state secretary for the environment, Jochen Flasbarth. The two were asked in July, by COP26 president designate Alok Sharma, to figure out exactly what the financing pledges are through to 2025.
Canada announced last spring it would double its climate aid to more than C$1 billion a year for the next five years, or about US$855 million. Germany announced it would increase its contribution by 50 per cent, to $6 billion euros, or about US$7.3 billion a year, by 2025.
Wilkinson and Flasbarth then spent the last three months wrangling new commitments out of other countries, and Flasbarth said "not all of our conversations were really seen to be polite."
New Zealand and Sweden are among the countries that responded with new pledges. Thus far Italy, hosting the G20 leaders' summit later this week, is the most notable on the list of countries that haven't yet increased their climate finance promise.
Flasbarth said he understands the disappointment developing nations have in the totals so far but believes the results of the recent efforts will allow for constructive progress in Glasgow.
The OECD concluded last month that climate finance reached almost US$80 billion in 2019, but was unlikely to get to $100 billion by the end of 2020. The actual results for 2020 won't be analyzed until next year, but Wilkinson and Flasbarth said it's already pretty clear the total didn't hit $100 billion.
They said with new contributions pledged in the last few months annual climate financing will get to about $97 billion next year, and finally hit $100 billion in 2023.
"It's disappointing that we didn't get there in 2020 but I think most people understood that we weren't (going to)," said Wilkinson in an interview with The Canadian Press.
"I think the positive part of this is we actually have a pathway to get there potentially in 2022, certainly in 2023 and the numbers go up in 2024 and 2025. That's actually a big step forward."
Sharma said Monday the higher amounts in 2024 and 2025 mean the total for the five years will be close to the $500 billion expected in that time frame.
The report also says a lack of private investments has been the biggest barrier to achieving the goal. Critics also say too much of the funding for climate finance has been in the form of loans, rather than grants, and not enough is flowing to the poorest countries.
Sharma, Flasbarth and Wilkinson acknowledged not meeting the 2020 goal has eroded trust between developed and developing countries in the world. But they say they hope this plan showing a path to get there will provide confidence.
"Today I think we are telling countries around the world that they can trust in the goals that we collectively established in the fight against climate change," Wilkinson said in a media event Monday morning. "This is a critical moment to deliver on a critical promise."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 25, 2021.
IN DEPTH
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
Trudeau, key election players to testify at foreign interference hearings. What you need to know
The public hearings portion of the federal inquiry into foreign interference in Canadian elections and democratic institutions are picking back up this week. Here's what you need to know.
Who is supporting, opposing new online harms bill?
Now that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's sweeping online harms legislation is before Parliament, allowing key stakeholders, major platforms, and Canadians with direct personal experience with abuse to dig in and see what's being proposed, reaction is streaming in. CTVNews.ca has rounded up reaction, and here's how Bill C-63 is going over.
As Poilievre sides with Smith on trans restrictions, former Conservative candidate says he's 'playing with fire'
Siding with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on her proposed restrictions on transgender youth, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre confirmed Wednesday that he is against trans and non-binary minors using puberty blockers.
TREND LINE What Nanos' tracking tells us about Canadians' mood, party preference heading into 2024
Heading into a new year, Canadians aren't feeling overly optimistic about the direction the country is heading, with the number of voters indicating negative views about the federal government's performance at the highest in a decade, national tracking from Nanos Research shows.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.
Local Spotlight
Marmot in the city: New resident of North Vancouver's Lower Lonsdale a 'rock star rodent'
When Les Robertson was walking home from the gym in North Vancouver's Lower Lonsdale neighbourhood three weeks ago, he did a double take. Standing near a burrow it had dug in a vacant lot near East 1st Street and St. Georges Avenue was a yellow-bellied marmot.
Relocated seal returns to Greater Victoria after 'astonishing' 204-kilometre trek
A moulting seal who was relocated after drawing daily crowds of onlookers in Greater Victoria has made a surprise return, after what officials described as an 'astonishing' six-day journey.
Ottawa barber shop steps away from Parliament Hill marks 100 years in business
Just steps from Parliament Hill is a barber shop that for the last 100 years has catered to everyone from prime ministers to tourists.
'It was a special game': Edmonton pinball player celebrates high score and shout out from game designer
A high score on a Foo Fighters pinball machine has Edmonton player Dave Formenti on a high.
'How much time do we have?': 'Contamination' in Prairie groundwater identified
A compound used to treat sour gas that's been linked to fertility issues in cattle has been found throughout groundwater in the Prairies, according to a new study.
'Why not do it together?': Lifelong friends take part in 'brosectomy' in Vancouver
While many people choose to keep their medical appointments private, four longtime friends decided to undergo vasectomies as a group in B.C.'s Lower Mainland.
Grain-gobbling bears spark 'no stopping' zone in Banff National Park
A popular highway in Alberta's Banff National Park now has a 'no stopping zone' to help protect two bears.
Deer family appears to accept B.C. man as one of their own
B.C. resident Robert Conrad spent thousands of hours on Crown land developing an unusual bond with deer.
Doorbell video shows family of black bears scared off by dog in Sudbury, Ont.
A Sudbury woman said her husband was bringing the recycling out to the curb Wednesday night when he had to make a 'mad dash' inside after seeing a bear.