OXFAM ISSUE BRIEFING
NOVEMBER 2013
Villagers tend their vegetables as part of Oxfam's Farmer's Field School, designed to mitigate the effects of climate change in West Timor. Photo: Tom Greenwood
ADAPTATION AND THE $100 BILLION COMMITMENT Why private investment cannot replace public finance in meeting critical climate adaptation needs Private finance has a vital role to play in the global response to climate change, but it is not a substitute for public finance. Developed countries have committed to mobilizing $100 billion in climate finance per year by 2020 to support climate adaptation and mitigation in developing countries. Reliance on private finance over public to meet these financing goals presents a triple whammy for pro-poor adaptation. Private finance will struggle to meet the essential adaptation needs of poor and marginalized people; it overwhelmingly favours mitigation over adaptation; and it favours richer developing countries over less developed countries. COP19 in Warsaw must make commitments to scaling up public finance for adaptation, so that the world’s poorest countries and communities are not left without promised adaptation support.
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