London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Jan 27, 2026

Climate finance for poor countries to hit $100bn target by 2023, says report

Climate finance for poor countries to hit $100bn target by 2023, says report

Annual target going unmet has endangered developing nations’ trust in Paris deal, say experts
The longstanding target for providing climate finance to the developing world will be met within two years, according to a report ahead of the UN Cop26 climate summit.

But experts said it was “shameful” that developed countries were not doing more to help the poorest in the world, who were struggling with a climate crisis not of their making.

Rich countries agreed in 2009 that at least $100bn a year would be provided annually from public and private sector sources to the developing world by 2020, in order to help poor countries cut greenhouse gas emissions and cope with the impacts of the climate crisis.

That target has so far gone unmet, endangering the trust that developing countries have in the 2015 Paris climate agreement and jeopardising progress at the Cop26 talks, which open in Glasgow this Sunday.

The climate finance delivery plan published on Monday found that a shortfall remained between the finance likely to be provided this year and next year and the $100bn (£73bn) target, but that it would be closed by 2023 when new contributions that had already been pledged came into effect. By 2025, according to the plan, the amount flowing to developing countries should reach $117bn.

Alok Sharma, the UK cabinet minister who will preside over Cop26, said: “The delivery plan sets out how developed countries will deliver the $100bn goal that has long been promised to developing nations. Scaling up climate finance has been one of my top priorities as Cop president. This plan recognises progress, based on strong new climate finance commitments. There is still further to go, but this plan provides clarity, transparency and accountability. It is a step towards rebuilding trust and gives developing countries more assurance of predictable support.”

No new money is likely to be forthcoming immediately under the delivery plan, though there are expectations of some new pledges by the end of this year.

More significantly for the poorest countries, at Cop26 there is likely to be a refocus of existing pledges to help them cope with the impacts of extreme weather. Much of the climate finance provided to date has gone to middle-income countries to help them cut emissions, through projects such as windfarms or solar panels that are already easy to fund as they produce a profit, so a focus on poorer countries will be a welcome departure for many at the Cop26 talks.

The Climate Finance Delivery Plan, compiled by the German and Canadian governments at the request of the UK as host of Cop26, found that more than $100bn would be provided from 2023 to 2025.

Ed Miliband, the shadow business secretary, pointed to the UK’s decision to cut overseas aid while urging other countries to increase their commitment to climate finance. “Despite Alok Sharma’s best efforts, he has been undermined by the rest of the government. Cutting our aid budget has sent precisely the wrong signal to others and made it much harder for us to deliver on this vital commitment,” he said.

In Glasgow countries will be expected to come forward with targets on cutting greenhouse gas emissions in line with holding global temperature rises to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. But the targets – known as nationally determined contributions (NDCs) – submitted so far have fallen short of the 45% cut in carbon required by 2030 to meet the goal.

On Monday, the UN published its final report on NDCs ahead of the Cop26 conference, showing that current contributions would result in an emissions rise of 16% by 2030, underlining the need for countries to do more.

The UN report also emphasised the importance of finance, because some developing countries have submitted carbon targets that are conditional on receiving financial help. If this finance is provided, current NDCs would result in emissions falling by 2030 – not enough to bridge the gap, but a substantial improvement.

Mohamed Adow, the director of the Power Shift Africa thinktank in Nairobi, criticised the plan: “The $100bn of climate finance is not only a lifeline to poor and vulnerable communities on the frontline of a climate crisis they did not cause, it’s also the bare minimum that rich countries need to do to hold up their end of the bargain at Cop26. For more than 10 years they have been promising this climate funding would be provided and every year they delay and drag their feet.”

He pointed out that $100bn was less than the UK is spending on its HS2 rail link. “It’s utterly shameful and the deal announced today is still short despite the UK government trying to spin it as ‘mission accomplished’. Poor nations will not be conned and the leaders of the developed world need to pull their finger out and get this money on the table if Cop26 is going to be a success,” he said.

David Levai, a researcher at the IDDRI thinktank in Paris, said: “This plan, which was an opportunity to reassure developing countries that their concerns were to be address addressed, fails to do that. In a year when they face compounding crises – health, climate and debt – support is more crucial than ever. Developed countries need to answer calls to deliver what was promised, to increase funding for adaptation and to improve access. If not addressed urgently by the UK presidency, this issue risks toxifying the Cop when it opens next week.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK Banks Pledge £11 Billion Lending Package to Help Firms Expand Overseas
Suella Braverman Defects to Reform UK, Accusing Conservatives of Betrayal on Core Policies
Melania Trump Documentary Sees Limited Box Office Traction in UK Cinemas
Meta and EssilorLuxottica Ray-Ban Smart Glasses and the Non-Consensual Public Recording Economy
WhatsApp Develops New Meta AI Features to Enhance User Control
Germany Considers Gold Reserves Amidst Rising Tensions with the U.S.
Michael Schumacher Shows Significant Improvement in Health Status
Greenland’s NATO Stress Test: Coercion, Credibility, and the New Arctic Bargaining Game
Diego Garcia and the Chagos Dispute: When Decolonization Collides With Alliance Power
Trump Claims “Total” U.S. Access to Greenland as NATO Weighs Arctic Basing Rights and Deterrence
Air France and KLM Suspend Multiple Middle East Routes as Regional Tensions Disrupt Aviation
U.S. winter storm triggers 13,000-plus flight cancellations and 160,000 power outages
Poland delays euro adoption as Domański cites $1tn economy and zloty advantage
White House: Trump warns Canada of 100% tariff if Carney finalizes China trade deal
PLA opens CMC probe of Zhang Youxia, Liu Zhenli over Xi authority and discipline violations
ICE and DHS immigration raids in Minneapolis: the use-of-force accountability crisis in mass deportation enforcement
UK’s Starmer and Trump Agree on Urgent Need to Bolster Arctic Security
Starmer Breaks Diplomatic Restraint With Firm Rebuke of Trump, Seizing Chance to Advocate for Europe
UK Finance Minister Reeves to Join Starmer on China Visit to Bolster Trade and Economic Ties
Prince Harry Says Sacrifices of NATO Forces in Afghanistan Deserve ‘Respect’ After Trump Remarks
Barron Trump Emerges as Key Remote Witness in UK Assault and Rape Trial
Nigel Farage Attended Davos 2026 Using HP Trust Delegate Pass Linked to Sasan Ghandehari
Gold Jumps More Than 8% in a Week as the Dollar Slides Amid Greenland Tariff Dispute
BlackRock Executive Rick Rieder Emerges as Leading Contender to Succeed Jerome Powell as Fed Chair
Boston Dynamics Atlas humanoid robot and LG CLOiD home robot: the platform lock-in fight to control Physical AI
United States under President Donald Trump completes withdrawal from the World Health Organization: health sovereignty versus global outbreak early-warning access
FBI and U.S. prosecutors vs Ryan Wedding’s transnational cocaine-smuggling network: the fight over witness-killing and cross-border enforcement
Trump Administration’s Iran Military Buildup and Sanctions Campaign Puts Deterrence Credibility on the Line
Apple and OpenAI Chase Screenless AI Wearables as the Post-iPhone Interface Battle Heats Up
Tech Brief: AI Compute, Chips, and Platform Power Moves Driving Today’s Market Narrative
NATO’s Stress Test Under Trump: Alliance Credibility, Burden-Sharing, and the Fight Over Strategic Territory
OpenAI’s Money Problem: Explosive Growth, Even Faster Costs, and a Race to Stay Ahead
Trump Reverses Course and Criticises UK-Mauritius Chagos Islands Agreement
Elizabeth Hurley Tells UK Court of ‘Brutal’ Invasion of Privacy in Phone Hacking Case
UK Bond Yields Climb as Report Fuels Speculation Over Andy Burnham’s Return to Parliament
America’s Venezuela Oil Grip Meets China’s Demand: Market Power, Legal Shockwaves, and the New Rules of Energy Leverage
TikTok’s U.S. Escape Plan: National Security Firewall or Political Theater With a Price Tag?
Trump’s Board of Peace: Breakthrough Diplomacy or a Hostile Takeover of Global Order?
Trump’s Board of Peace: Breakthrough Diplomacy or a Hostile Takeover of Global Order?
The Greenland Gambit: Economic Genius or Political Farce?
The Greenland Gambit: Economic Genius or Political Farce?
The Greenland Gambit: Economic Genius or Political Farce?
Will AI Finally Make Blue-Collar Workers Rich—or Is This Just Elite Tech Spin?
Prince William to Make Official Visit to Saudi Arabia in February
Prince Harry Breaks Down in London Court, Says UK Tabloids Have Made Meghan Markle’s Life ‘Absolute Misery’
Malin + Goetz UK Business Enters Administration, All Stores Close
EU and UK Reject Trump’s Greenland-Linked Tariff Threats and Pledge Unified Response
UK Deepfake Crackdown Puts Intense Pressure on Musk’s Grok AI After Surge in Non-Consensual Explicit Images
Prince Harry Becomes Emotional in London Court, Invokes Memory of Princess Diana in Testimony Against UK Tabloids
UK Inflation Rises Unexpectedly but Interest Rate Cuts Still Seen as Likely
×