Germany first to pledge to Green Climate Fund

Germany has pledged €750 million (£593 million) to the UN's Green Climate Fund, reports AlertNet. Oxfam has called on other nations with the means to donate to add money to the fledgling fund, which is designed to help poorer countries deal with the challenges presented by climate change.

So far no other countries have donated to the fund, meaning it has remained empty since it was launched. Jan Kowalzig, from Oxfam Germany, said the announcement of the donation is an end to the silence that has faced the call for more donations. He said other countries must now follow on from Germany in order to achieve what the fund was designed for.

"If rich countries such as the US, France, the UK, Japan and others manage to collect at least $15 billion in pledges ahead of the upcoming UN climate negotiations in Lima at the end of the year, this could give the talks a significant boost," he said in a statement.

Chancellor Angela Merkel made the announcement on Monday (July 14th) at the Petersberg Climate Dialogue in Berlin. It is the only large pledge made to the fund since it was launched. Chancellor Merkel made the announcement to 35 ministers from various countries who were gathered to discuss international climate action.

The fund was initially agreed on in 2010 at UN climate talks, however, it has been delayed by continued discussions about its design. Operating rules have now been agreed, which means the first conference for pledging can take place in November before the UN climate conference in Peru.

Once pledges are made to the Green Climate Fund, it will be used to help poor countries adapt to the challenges brought on by global warming, as well as help with clean development. Countries will be given aid to deal with issues like flooding, heatwaves and rising sea levels.