Only a fifth of climate finance goes to adaptation as share of loans grows

(Climate Home News, Kent, 6 November 2020) Donor countries mobilised $78.9 billion of climate aid in 2018, but developing nations are expected to pay back nearly three quarters of the money. Financial support to help the most vulnerable countries adapt to intensifying climate impacts continues to fall short compared with money spent to cut emissions, according to a report by donor countries. Analysis of the latest climate finance data by the OECD - representing 36 of the world’s most developed countries – found that only 21% of climate finance mobilised in 2018 aimed to help communities adapt to climate change vs more than two-thirds of the money still going to carbon-cutting efforts, with 9% identified as serving both goals. The OECD report analysed progress made by developed countries to meet a 2009 commitment to mobilise $100 billion a year in climate finance by 2020 to help developing countries green their economies and cope with climate impacts. The data included finance from bilateral and multilateral finance, climate-related finance officially supported by export credit agencies and private finance mobilised through public finance interventions, with the vast majority of the money coming from public finance, with private funding accounting for 18.5% of 2018's $78.9 billion. Oxfam’s Climate Finance Shadow Report 2020 offers an assessment of progress towards the $100bn goal.