The following statement was released by WCS President and CEO Cristián Samper in response to President Biden’s commitment to double the United States’ previous climate finance pledge, announced at the UN General Assembly. As part of this commitment, the United States would provide over $11 billion annually to developing countries which are most threatened by the climate crisis. President Biden called for other governments to set high ambitions for their climate commitments, including a collective pledge to provide $100 billion to developing nations.   

Said Samper:

“The world is facing three interconnected crises resulting from ecological degradation - the pandemic, the loss of biodiversity and climate change. We can solve them by focusing on nature. 

“We welcome the announcement from President Biden and his plan to double climate finance for developing countries to $11 billion by 2024 and look forward to working with Congress to make sure these vital funds are included in the appropriations.

“Intact forests, home to most of the world’s terrestrial biodiversity, are critical natural infrastructure for regulating the world’s climate and support the livelihoods of millions of people. We need to embrace the power of nature-based solutions to climate.”