WASHINGTON: US Climate envoy John Kerry has said that the United States will not under any circumstances pay reparations to developing countries hit by climate change-fuelled disasters.
Kerry made the remarks at a Congress hearing before visiting to China to discuss the matter.
Some nations want big economies – which produce the major sum of most greenhouse gases – to pay for past emissions.
A fund has been set up for poorer countries, but it remains unclear how much richer nations will pay, according to BBC.
John Kerry was asked during a hearing before the foreign affairs committee of the House of Representatives whether the United States would pay nations that have been affected by floods, storms and other climate-driven calamities.
In response to a question from the committee chair Brian Mast, he said a big no.
Kerry to discuss climate issues with Chinese officials
Kerry was speaking days before he was due to visit to China to meet with officials to discuss matters around climate change, including plans for this year’s United Nations climate conference COP28, which would be held in Dubai, UAE in November.
At 2022 conference – COP27 in Sharm Al-Shiekh, Egypt – more than 200 nations agreed to establish a loss and damage fund, which would be financed mainly by developed countriess before the money is distributed to especially vulnerable countries.
Although the deal was billed as one of the big successes of the gathering, there are still many details that require to be ironed out, including how much big economies will pay and how money will be distributed. Multipl meetings have been taking place this year to address these matters.
Developing countries, which are disproportionately hit by climate-related calamities, have demanded for guaranteed reparations from developing nations, who they claim are historically responsible for climate change through their high emissions of greenhouse gases.
