The Netherlands pledges €15 million to the new climate damage fund at COP28 in Dubai
The Netherlands has pledged 15 million euros to the new climate damage fund approved at the climate summit in Dubai on Thursday. Outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced this during his speech on Friday at the COP28 summit in the United Arab Emirates.
"Relatively quite a lot," Rutte remarked. Germany and the UAE, among others, are contributing 100 million dollars to the fund.
The 15 million euros from the Netherlands is also intended as seed money to set up the fund. Rutte mentioned that the Netherlands would reevaluate their contribution later, adding, "This is in addition to the 900 million euros that our government will put into climate financing starting from 2025." This summit could potentially be his last, though Rutte stated that it is not certain whether it would be his final COP, as it depends on whether the Netherlands will have a new prime minister next year. "I am not saying goodbye to anything yet," he said.
The former VVD leader arrived at the COP site in Dubai a few hours ago. He has already spoken with several other world leaders, including Israeli President Isaac Herzog. Their discussions primarily focused on the Middle East conflict in Gaza and Israel. Rutte also noted that the climate summit is focused on implementing plans that have already been made.
Rutte feels that countries believe "we now really need to hurry," as there's still time to turn the tide. World leaders agreed in Paris in 2015 to limit global warming to 2 degrees, preferably to 1.5 degrees. Climate scientists agree that stronger warming could have irreversible consequences.
ActionAid Nederland considers the Netherlands' contribution to the fund a good start. "But much more is needed to support communities affected by the massive consequences of the climate crisis," said policy advisor Agnes Schim van der Loeff of the non-profit organization. "15 million is far from the fair share of the Netherlands based on our historical emissions, so we look forward to more substantial amounts to really fill the fund."
