After Donald Trump’s announcement of a new U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement, American billionaire Michael Bloomberg committed on Thursday to cover, on behalf of the federal government, any unpaid U.S. contributions to the UN Climate body.
Just like during Trump's first term, the businessman, who is opposed to the Republican and former mayor of New York, and UN special envoy for climate, announced that he would fill the gap left by any halt in U.S. contributions to the organizer of climate conferences (the COPs), the next edition of which will be held in November in Brazil (COP30).
The United States finances 22% of the total UN Climate budget, headquartered in Bonn, Germany, which amounts to 88.4 million euros for the 2024/2025 period. The president has not announced a withdrawal from the UN Climate body itself so far, but only from the Paris Agreement, which is managed by this organization.
Trump also signed the upcoming withdrawal from another UN entity, the World Health Organization, whose budget is vastly higher, at 7.89 billion dollars in 2022-2023, and depends on the U.S. for 16%. Bloomberg’s commitment only concerns the UN Climate body.
"Bloomberg Philanthropies and other American climate funders will ensure that the United States meets its global climate obligations following the federal government's intent to withdraw from the Paris Agreement for the second time," the businessman said in a statement.
Concluded under the auspices of the United Nations and adopted at a COP in 2015, this agreement brings together almost all the countries of the world and aims to limit global warming to a certain threshold.
"Even though government funding remains essential to our mission, contributions like this are vital in allowing the UN Climate Secretariat to help countries meet their commitments under the Paris Agreement," praised Simon Stiell, head of UN Climate.
When the first U.S. withdrawal was announced in 2017, Michael Bloomberg committed to contributing up to 15 million dollars to fund the UN Climate body and, along with former California governor Jerry Brown, launched the America's Pledge initiative, which gathers local authorities and U.S. businesses committed to climate action.
"Mike Bloomberg’s generous donation will allow the world to maintain a vital platform for cooperation on the fundamental challenge of our time, one that no country can solve alone or afford to ignore," reacted Laurence Tubiana, one of the architects of the Paris Agreement, which turns ten this year.
With AFP
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