After US withdrawal from climate change agreement, Netherlands will pick up slack

The Netherlands is doubling its contribution to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to 100 thousand euros to help compensate for the United States' withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement, Environment State Secretary Sharon Dijksma said to the Volkskrant. She called on other European countries to do the same and thereby fill the financial hole the Americans left.

The IPCC maps climate change for the United Nations and evaluates the climate plans of the 194 countries still singed on to the Paris climate agreement. The Netherlands is also paying 50 thousand euros to the 1.5 degree-study. In the coming years the climate panel will also publish reports about ways to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees. Dijksma thinks it is very important to make sure these reports are not hindered by a hole in the financing.

American president Donald Trump pulled out of the Paris climate agreement - which set the goal of limiting global warming at least to 2 degrees, and trying for 1.5 degrees - two weeks ago. The United States is one of the world's biggest polluters when it comes to CO2 emissions. His decision was met with disbelief and anger worldwide. According to Trump, the climate agreement costs U.S. citizens too much and has nothing to offer.

The United States used to make an annual contribution of 1.8 million euros to the IPCC, and was thereby responsible for about a third of its budget, according to the newspaper. Dijksma hopes that Europe will be able to make up this amount. Her plan will be discussed at the European Council in Luxembourg on Monday. "In this way you show that Europe takes responsibility and shows leadership."

This is not the first time that a Dutch official is working to compensate for one of Trump's policies. In January Trump scrapped the U.S. contribution to development organizations that support abortions. Minister Lilianne Ploumen of Development Cooperation launched an international fund called She Decides to fill that gap in the organizations' budget.