Media CenterCRS Applauds U.S. Contributions to Green Climate Fund

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:
Kim Pozniak
Catholic Relief Services
[email protected]
 

WASHINGTON, DC, April 20, 2023 -- Catholic Relief Services (CRS) applauds the announcement today by the Administration of its $1 billion contribution to the Green Climate Fund for fiscal years 2022 and 2023. This brings the United States’ contributions to the fund to $2 billion and closer to its 2014 pledge of $3 billion

“This transfer of $1 billion to the Fund demonstrates our country’s commitment to addressing climate change, which has already caused millions of people around the world to fight for their very survival,” said Bill O’Keefe, CRS’ Executive Vice President for Mission and Mobilization. “The Green Climate Fund provides critical resources that help communities on the frontlines of climate change become more resilient to more and more erratic weather patterns.”

The Green Climate Fund (GCF) was created in 2010 to help countries deal with the financial burden that climate change brings. It invests in climate resilient projects such as renewable energy projects and climate smart agriculture. It also supports the restoration of degraded land through more effective farming practices, leading to increased yields and income and helping families towards a prosperous future.

GCF is mandated to support the most vulnerable developing countries – the communities that CRS works with, which continue to reap the negative repercussions of our changing climate, such as severe and prolonged drought, cyclones and other storms, and flooding. 

As the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) showed, the window to address the climate crisis is rapidly shrinking. As countries around the world work to cope with climate related disasters, the United States must continue to exercise critical leadership and honor its commitment to international climate action.

“Our staff and partners around the world have been seeing the impacts of the climate crisis firsthand for years, and millions of people can no longer wait as their farms are drying up and their homes are destroyed by stronger and stronger storms,” O’Keefe said. “As one of the biggest contributors to climate change, the U.S. has a responsibility to support those who contribute the least yet suffer the most severe consequences. These investments are great to see, and the US must continue to honor its commitment to the Green Climate Fund.”

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Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. The agency alleviates suffering and provides assistance to people in need in more than 100 countries, without regard to race, religion or nationality. CRS’ relief and development work is accomplished through programs of emergency response, HIV, health, agriculture, education, microfinance and peacebuilding. For more information, visit www.crs.org or www.crsespanol.org and follow Catholic Relief Services on social media in English at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube; and in Spanish at: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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