The head of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), Samantha Power, pledged support for around 20 developing cities in the face of climate change, along with over $2 billion in new financing for adaptation from the private sector, according to the French Press Agency.
Samantha Power is participating in the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai. USAID committed $53 million to assist 23 cities in developing countries in transitioning to low-carbon and climate-resilient activities, such as electric cars.
These cities include the capital of Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek, the city of Rajkot in western India, Mbombela in South Africa, and Hermosillo and Merida in Mexico.
Urban areas worldwide are responsible for three-quarters of total carbon emissions.
The US Agency for International Development also announced an additional $2.3 billion from private sector investments to be funded as part of President Joe Biden’s initiatives for early warning systems, climate-resilient food infrastructure, and new financial products.
The agency announced that 21 companies have recently committed to financing the President’s Emergency Adaptation and Resilience Plan, including IBM and Visa, in addition to the ten founding members announced in 2022 during the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Egypt.
Power, the latest high-ranking US official to join chief negotiator John Kerry at the conference, focuses her efforts on assisting developing countries in adapting to climate change.
Power stated that COP28 is taking place at the end of another year in which people all over the world have seen their lives upended by record temperatures and extreme weather events.
