Australia Commits $50 Million to Address Damage from Climate Change

The move complements existing commitments like the $100 million Pacific Resilience Facility pledge.

Conference participants attend day six at the UNFCCC COP29 Climate Conference in Baku, Azerbaijan on Nov. 16, 2024. Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Australia’s Labor government has pledged $50 million to the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage, aimed at assisting nations severely affected by the climate crisis.

The fund will support developing countries addressing the economic and non-economic impacts of extreme weather and slow-onset climate events.

“We recognise the profound impact of climate change on Pacific communities, culture, and livelihoods,” Foreign Minister Penny Wong said in a statement.

She added that Australia is proud to stand with our Pacific partners in addressing the climate crisis.

“We share the responsibility of protecting the lives and livelihoods that rely on the Blue Pacific.”

Global Collaboration for Climate Action

Australia joins major contributors, including Canada, Germany, the UAE, the United States, and the UK, in funding the initiative.

Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen reiterated the urgency of international collaboration.

“Now is the time for action and implementation–and for all major economies to do their part,” he said.

“Australia is committed to supporting Pacific priorities and welcomes Pacific leadership to drive climate action, including on responding to loss and damage.”

The contribution complements Australia’s $100 million commitment to the Pacific Resilience Facility and $50 million to the Green Climate Fund.

Minister Bowen has urged world leaders to stay the course on climate action, in response to the election of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who will likely pull the United States from the Paris Agreement.

Rising Seas Threaten Pacific Livelihoods: UN

In August, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres and WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo presented a report the Surging Seas in a Warming World at the Pacific Islands Forum in Tonga.

Guterres described it as “an SOS on sea level rise,” highlighting the consequences for Pacific island nations.

“A worldwide catastrophe is putting this Pacific paradise in peril,” Guterres said. “The ocean is overflowing.”

He attributed the crisis to greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels.