President Joe Biden’s remarks to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday contained much of the same lofty rhetoric that pervades a lot big speeches about climate change. But amid the familiar tropes was a pledge that climate policymakers hope will provide real momentum to international climate talks set to take place this fall in Glasgow, Scotland: a commitment to double the money the U.S. will spend each year to help developing countries tackle climate change. The new annual commitment—some $11 billion—is small in the scheme of America’s massive federal budget, but it could give the rest of the world a much-needed boost of confidence that the U.S. can finally be taken seriously as a climate leader. The approximately $11 billion figure that the Administration finally settled on is twice what Biden had previously announced the U.S. would spend on such efforts in April.
By Justin Worland. Time. September 22, 2021.
