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Floating solar power plant on the Cirata reservoir in Indonesia

Photo: Algi Febri Sugita / dpa

Last year, Germany provided 6.39 billion euros for climate protection measures in developing countries. This is about one billion more than in 2021 and a new record level, the two ministries of economy and development announced. "This means that the annual target of six billion euros in climate finance from public funds promised by Chancellor Olaf Scholz for 2025 has already been reached three years earlier," it said.

According to the ministries, the funds were used, among other things, to finance food security projects, because climate change is often the cause of droughts. In Jordan, for example, support was provided for the construction of a seawater desalination plant on the Red Sea to improve the water supply. In Indonesia, investments to phase out coal and support instruments for renewable energies were co-financed, and the country wants to cover 31 percent of its energy needs with renewable energies by 2030. In addition, there are new partnerships in the climate sector with Rwanda, India, Peru and Kenya.

Industrialized countries such as Germany, which emit a lot of greenhouse gases, have pledged to support poorer countries. Many of them are the first victims of the climate crisis caused by extreme weather triggering floods and droughts. And this despite the fact that they hardly produce any CO₂ themselves. However, researchers criticize a transparency problem in the promised aid. Often, only a fraction of the promised funds are behind the billion-dollar promises, and often it is more about the self-interest of the donor states.

Spurring more private investment with funds

Development Minister Svenja Schulze (SPD) said Germany stands by its commitments. But other industrialised countries must now also make their contribution. According to Climate Protection Minister Robert Habeck (Greens), the funds should be used more in the future to leverage private investment.

Developing countries, which are suffering particularly badly from climate change, which is mainly fuelled by industrialised countries, have long been promised that 100 billion dollars per year will be mobilised for adaptation. "This promise must now finally be kept," said Schulze. "This is not only a central question of trust between industrialised and developing countries. It would also help us to hold other countries such as China or the Gulf states accountable for climate finance."

The international pledge of 100 billion euros also includes contributions that are mobilised with the help of public funds. According to this counting method, Germany came to around 2022.8 billion euros in 8. In 2023, the 100 billion promise is to be cracked, after it was around 2022 billion dollars in 83.

kig/Reuters