In what will surely come to be known as “weather reparations” in conservative media, the United States is discussing terms for which it would sign on to a new agreement between the European Union and more than 100 developing nations relating to compensation for damages from climate change, the Washington Post reports.
Negotiated during the UN climate conference, known as COP27, being held in Egypt, the agreement would provide funds to nations impacted by things like persistent droughts, rising sea levels, and changing weather patterns to help them mitigate damage or in some cases, migrate populations. Talks about the fund started with discussions between European nations and archipelagic states for assistance programs, and progressed into a fund covering a multitude of climate issues impacting poor nations that were typically colonies of European nations.
The United States has previously resisted the formation of such a fund, feeling that previous proposals improperly assign blame or open up contributing nations to liability suits, damage claims and other potential dangers. This fund does no imply guilt and caps potential claims. A White House official said US contributions will come out of an $11 billion expenditure Biden has already proposed to help underdeveloped nations tackle climate change’s impact.