U.S. showcases climate support for developing nations

Nov. 18 (UPI) -- The U.S. State Department on Friday put forward of summary of progress made at this year's COP27 environmental summit, showing it was doing its part to support developing nations along the energy transition pathway.

The energy transition refers to a pivot away from fossil fuels and toward cleaner resources, from wind and solar to hydrogen. U.N. Secretary-General Anthony Guterres said from the COP27 summit in Egypt that rich nations weren't doing enough to support those who might not be able to afford some of the nascent technologies that require heavy investments to support.

Secretary General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres accused advanced economies of not doing enough to support developing nations move further along the energy transition pathway. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI

"There is clearly a breakdown in trust between North and South, and between developed and emerging economies," he said. "This is no time for finger-pointing. The blame game is a recipe for mutually assured destruction."

The European Union followed up with a proposed fund that would provide financial aid to help the world's poorest countries deal with the impacts of climate change. From Washington, meanwhile, the U.S. State Department published a progress report on the steps it took during the COP27 summit.

A Clean Energy Demand Initiative brought 80 companies onboard who committed up to $100 billion to help support the development of clean-energy infrastructure across 14 countries. A clean energy task force established with India, meanwhile, would help New Delhi reach its goal of having 500 gigawatts of non-fossil fuel power on its grid by 2030.

Elsewhere, U.S. climate envoy John Kerry was joined by The Rockefeller Foundation and the Bezos Earth Fund, a $10 billion philanthropic effort from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, in announcing a partnership that would work to develop an Energy Transition Accelerator to draw private funds to support efforts by developing countries to adopt cleaner energy practices.

"The goal of the partnership is to establish a high-integrity framework enabling developing countries to attract finance to support their clean energy transitions," the partners announced.

Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry speaks at the UNFCCC COP27 climate conference, in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, on Friday on November 11, 2022 . Photo by COP27 / UPI

In the domestic energy sector, meanwhile, U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm signed a memorandum of understanding at COP27 to advance a fleet of zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, part of a "whole-of-government approach to address the climate crisis."

U.S. President Joe Biden set a domestic goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50% below 2005 levels by 2030.

"We're going to win this fight," Biden said. "We can no longer plead ignorance to the consequences of our actions or continue to repeat our mistakes."