Switzerland commits $148mn to Green Climate Fund

Market: Emissions
10/04/24

Switzerland will contribute 135mn Swiss francs ($148mn) over the next four years to the UN's Green Climate Fund (GCF), according to the country's Federal Council.

The Federal Council said the commitment was for the fund's second replenishment period — 2024-27. Switzerland contributed $100mn to the fund's first capitalisation in 2015-17 and $150mn in 2020-23.

The GCF finances projects in developing and emerging countries with a focus on mitigation and adaptation. Mitigation refers to efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions causing global warming, while adaptation refers to adjustments to avoid global warming impacts. The GCF is the world's largest climate fund. As of December 2023, 31 countries had pledged support totalling $12.8bn over the next four years.

By Caroline Varin

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23/05/25

Cop 30 is ‘pivot point’ to climate action: Summit head

London, 23 May (Argus) — The UN Cop 30 climate conference will launch a "a new era of putting into practice" what has been agreed at previous Cop summits, Cop 30 president-designate Andre Correa do Lago said in a letter issued today. Correa do Lago focused on implementing the Paris climate agreement by driving action in the letter — his third setting out the Cop 30 presidency's priorities. Cop 30 "can be that pivot point" to "a new generation of climate conferences", delivering progress in climate action, Correa do Lago said. He reiterated the findings of the first global stocktake, including the call to transition away from fossil fuels — the first mention of fossil fuels in the letters that the Cop 30 president-designate has issued. The global stocktake was the main outcome of Cop 28 in 2023 , and measured global progress on tackling climate change. Today's letter was released ahead of ‘halfway-point' climate talks in June, hosted by UN climate body the UNFCCC in Bonn, Germany. Correa do Lago urged negotiators in Bonn to deliver "concrete results" that can be formally adopted at Cop 30. This "can help our process avoid the risks and stresses that have been damaging mutual trust year by year", he added. Correa do Lago acknowledged "ongoing calls" for reforming the Cop process and asked parties to "consider the future of the process itself", including a more efficient approach. In the meantime, "it is advisable to avoid introducing potentially contentious new agenda items that could further burden the process or detract from agreed priorities", he noted. Cops should focus on implementation and concrete actions, Cop 30 executive director and climate change secretary at Brazil's environment ministry Ana Toni said this week. "We need to do much more", and countries should not rely just on Cop summits, she told the Financial Times Climate and Impact Summit Europe on 22 May. In Bonn, the Cop 30 presidency will give "special focus" to adaptation, the just transition, and implementing the outcomes of the global stocktake. But "all substantive items under discussion are important", Correa do Lago emphasised. Cop 30 is scheduled for 10-21 November in Belem, in Brazil's Para state. By Georgia Gratton Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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Brazil senate passes environmental licensing bill

22/05/25

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22/05/25

Brazil senate passes environmental licensing bill

Sao Paulo, 22 May (Argus) — Brazil's senate approved a bill that aims to standardize and, in some cases, speed up environmental licensing that the oil industry has blamed for slowing exploration projects . The bill, which the senate approved Wednesday in a 54 to-13 vote, aims to create national standards for environmental licensing, with the goal of simplifying the process for projects that have a limited environmental impact. The bill also aims to create a new type of environmental license for projects that are considered government priorities. These projects would be subject to a more simplified licensing process that would take one year at most. The creation of a new type of licensing for these projects would potentially facilitate oil exploration in the Amazon, the senate said. The change comes as state-controlled Petrobras pushes to begin offshore drilling in the environmentally sensitive Foz do Amazonas offshore basin . The bill would also exempt agricultural projects from obtaining environmental licensing but would continue to require farmers to obtain authorization to remove native vegetation. It also allows small- and medium-sized projects to self-declare their environmental commitments, without the need to have a proper license. Senator Eliziane Gama criticized that proposal, using the disaster in the Brumadinho dam — which burst in 2019 and was considered a medium-sized project — as an example. Brazilian energy think tank Instituto Acende called the bill an important milestone for Brazil, adding that if approved, it would "reduce legal uncertainty, administrative inefficiencies, and obstacles to sustainable development". Environmentalists slammed the proposal, with Observatorio do Clima calling it the "greatest attack on environmental legislation in four decades". The legislation would approve nearly all new projects without environmental impact studies, the group said. The bill will now return to the lower house because senators altered the original text. Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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US could undermine global climate co-operation: Podesta

22/05/25

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22/05/25

US could undermine global climate co-operation: Podesta

London, 22 May (Argus) — The global climate community will have to pay close attention to the fact that the administration of US president Donald Trump "may do whatever they can to undermine global co-operation in the energy transition" in forums such as the G7 and the UN Cop 30 climate summit, former US government climate advisor John Podesta told the Financial Times Climate and Impact Summit Europe today. "I hope people will resist them," he said, after pointing out that during Trump's first term, the US administration was "essentially… passive" on the climate on a global stage. Podesta said that through Trump's attacks on former president Joe Biden's clean energy-supporting Inflation Reduction Act , the US has "handed a victory particularly to China". The act had become an energy transition model around the world, Podesta said, pointing to the EU's Green Industrial Deal. "The way to decarbonise and deal with climate change is through investment, innovation and technology… and what we have done is thrown in the towel and thrown in the hand", he said. "There was I think, bi-partisan consensus in the US and consensus in Europe that we need to react to [China's domination in the green industry sector]," he added, saying that there is an economic security dimension with leaving China in a dominant position. Clean energy deployment in the US is likely to stay robust in the short term, he said. Some Republican state governors have raised objections to the administration's rollback of clean energy support, but business investing in that area is keeping its collective head down, Podesta said, largely because "the administration has been engaged in a process of intimidation". Podesta said that there remains significant sub-national action in the US, but warned that the Trump administration is trying to undermine that too. The administration has moved to "attack the underlying science" and the "human capital" in institutions such as US climate and weather agency the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Podesta said. "If you eliminate all the information sources maybe the problem goes away", he added. The government has already pulled the US out of the Paris climate agreement and could withdraw from the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) — the UN's climate body. But there are legal issues around this, including whether the government may need a "supermajority" in the Senate, Podesta said. "The law has not been a constraint on this government," Podesta added. By Georgia Gratton, Caroline Varin & Victoria Hatherick Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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European Parliament adopts carbon border changes

22/05/25

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22/05/25

European Parliament adopts carbon border changes

Brussels, 22 May (Argus) — The European Parliament today approved changes to the bloc's carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) that are estimated to exempt 90pc of importers from the measure, linked to the EU emissions trading system (ETS), although a final legal text still needs to be agreed with EU member states. The parliament adopted by a large majority the European Commission's proposal, with a minor amendment to clarify that CBAM covers electricity importers but not power generated "entirely" in the European Economic Area (EEA) countries Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway and imported to the EU. These countries are covered by the EU ETS. The adopted text also confirms the start date for CBAM certificate sales as 1 February 2027, pushed back from 2026 previously, to "address significant uncertainties related to the year 2026". Parliament said the new de minimis mass threshold of 50t would exempt 90pc of importers from the CBAM. The commission designed the changes to continue to cover the bulk of CO2 emissions from imports of iron, steel, aluminium, cement and fertilisers. Most fertiliser imported to the EU is in the form of bulk shipments, which are well above 50t. Russia earlier this week launched a formal dispute procedure at the World Trade Organisation against CBAM as an "alleged export subsidy". By Dafydd ab Iago Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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Nations eye new climate ties including China without US

21/05/25

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21/05/25

Nations eye new climate ties including China without US

London, 21 May (Argus) — The world's politicians are still working out how to deal with US president Donald Trump, but climate leaders will forge new, diversified relationships, with China likely to play a growing part, delegates heard today at the Financial Times Climate and Impact Summit Europe . Trump's move to rapidly roll back US climate and environment-related regulation was a shock, but in Latin America, "underneath, so far, things have not really yet shifted", Colombia's former environment minister Susana Muhamad said today. Latin American countries are likely to further diversify relationships, she added, noting co-operation agreements signed in Beijing between Colombia and China. Colombia joined China's belt and road initiative earlier this month. "The world is still grasping what Trump is doing", and countries are still forming new relationships, EU member of parliament and vice-chair of the parliament's environment committee Bas Eickhout said today. And the UN Cop 30 climate summit — set for November in Belem, Brazil — is happening early in the day in terms of those new relationships being formed in the climate space, he added. China will be in "the driver's seat in some way… or at least a co-pilot", founding director at Chinese NGO the Institute of Public & Environmental Affairs Ma Jun said. The world's biggest economies "need to play a role in the governance", he added. China and Europe have experienced many of the same pressures on climate policy, delegates heard. Although the "backlash" against some "green" policies started around two years ago, those pushing against such policy have been emboldened by Trump's election, Eickhout said. "Energy security has been elevated to the top priority in China", Ma said — although China has already reached some of its 2030 renewable energy targets. In Europe, "I think the entire decarbonisation agenda will continue", but it will be framed as a competitiveness and security agenda, Eickhout said. He also noted some softening from industry previously pushing back on "green" policy, given that Europe's relative predictability has been thrown sharply into focus by drastic changes set out by the US government. Muhamad pointed to the global need for a just energy transition. "If the transition does not bring higher equality, the transition will not happen", she said. Given that finance is crucial, "the influence of the US in the multilateral banks' decisions… will be critical", she added. By Georgia Gratton and Victoria Hatherick Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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