US pledges climate aid for cities, more private sector finance

DUBAI: Samantha Power, administrator of the US Agency for International Development, who is visiting the COP28 climate summit in Dubai, on Wednesday promised support for two dozen developing cities to cope with climate change and announced more than $2 billion in new adaptation finance from the private sector. "We must do more to address the climate crisis - and we are," Power said ahead of her arrival.

With urban areas responsible for three-quarters of global carbon emissions and many fast growing, USAID promised $53 million to help 23 cities in the developing world switch to low-carbon and climate-resilient activities, including electric vehicles and public transport.

Cities targeted include Kyrgyzstan's capital Bishkek, the western Indian city of Rajkot, the northeastern South African city of Mbombela, and Hermosillo and Merida in Mexico.


USAID also announced the mobilisation of another $2.3 billion in private-sector investment as part of an initiative by President Joe Biden.