Developed countries could commit in the range of US $ 20-30 billion'

The developed countries have pledged to provide US $ 100 billion annually starting 2020, but have so far refused to put forth either an interim target or provide a time-line or transparent process to account for their contributions.

There is a likelihood that Ministers from the developed countries could commit in the range of US $ 20-30 billion when they meet starting Tuesday, an Indian negotiator at Warsaw projected, saying such a commitment could alter the weather at the climate talks, which has so far been gloomy.

Speaking off the record, he suggested that some developed countries seemed ready to pledge funds for the short-term but were possibly waiting for some indications from the US on how it would move.

But contrasting with this, the executive-secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, speaking at a press conference said, “This is not a pledging moment for the green climate fund." The developed countries have pledged to provide US $ 100 billion annually starting 2020, but have so far refused to put forth either an interim target or to provide a time-line or transparent process to account for their contributions.

The Indian negotiator said, “There is no surety about private investment going to which particular country on what quantum. Even now, they are talking about a level playing field. You are trying to say that you have to create enabling environment in the developing countries. What is the enabling environment? Is there any definition of it? It is just a diversionary tactic to put the discussion away from public funding. According to the principles of the convention, it is public funding which has to address the climate change.”

He was referring to the position which major developed country blocks have taken prior to and at the Warsaw meeting that most of these funds must come from private investments and not as transfers between governments.

The proposed decision for the UN countries to adopt at the Warsaw talks, brought out on Monday morning, did not reflect such a timeline for provision of finance either and is likely to face harsh resistance from the developing countries under the G77+China umbrella who have made deliverance of a finance time line essential to the successful adoption of a package of decision by the end of the week.

The negotiator added, “In this Conference of Parties we have been looking for implementation of past decisions. We have had decisions on ratification of Kyoto Protocol, which is enhanced ambition on mitigation. We have had decisions on adaptation and we have had decisions on finance that we will have about USD 100 billion. There has to be some kind of roadmap for these. So we are looking for all these decisions to be implemented at Warsaw but these commitments on the part of developed countries have not come. No picture has emerged at the negotiators level.”

But he said he predicted things changing when the Ministers come together on the issue, which the Polish hosts have arranged a separate round of high-level dialogue on, during the week.