Hoekstra: China must help poorer countries with climate change

“We need so much more money that we basically need everyone who can pay to contribute,” Hoekstra said in an interview with the British newspaper The Observer.

The idea is that rich countries deposit money into the climate damage fund and that developing countries can use that money for the problems caused by climate change. The idea is that poor countries often contribute less to greenhouse gas emissions and should therefore be less responsible for climate change.

Responsibility

Hoekstra wants China and emerging economies to contribute more. “I say to China and other countries that have had significant economic growth and are really more prosperous than they were 30 years ago, that comes with responsibility. Just because it’s fair and because the problem is so big, we really need everyone .”

The former leader of the CDA has now been European Commissioner for more than a month. During the COP28, the climate summit that starts next Thursday in Dubai and lasts almost two weeks, Hoekstra will have to try to get rich Western countries, emerging economies and developing countries on the same page about the climate damage fund.

Hundreds of millions

Earlier this month, he spoke with the Chinese climate envoy to urge Beijing to set more ambitious climate goals. China has the highest emissions worldwide, but per capita emissions from countries such as Qatar, the United States and the Netherlands are higher.

According to Hoekstra, the meeting at COP28 is a crucial moment for the world, while the geopolitical situation is ‘more difficult than ever’. Hundreds of millions of euros from the private sector and governments will likely be needed to make the climate fund a success, but few countries have yet made commitments.