AP - Biden appeals to world leaders to stay in the climate fight as Trump shadows his efforts



By AAMER MADHANI
Updated 12:42 PM EST, November 19, 2024

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — President Joe Biden made an urgent appeal to fellow world leaders Tuesday to surge money to developing nations to curb climate change as he wrapped up his final appearance at a major international summit.

Biden used the closing day’s events at the Group of 20 gathering to announce hundreds of millions of dollars in new climate and development pledges and underscore his commitment to stemming the impact of climate-damaging fossil fuels on the planet.

But Biden’s end-of-presidency call to leaders of the world’s major economies was shadowed by the reality that many of his latest proposals were likely to be blocked — and past climate initiatives rolled back — under President-elect Donald Trump.

Nonetheless, Biden insisted it was up to the leaders in the room to take on the existential crisis.

It’s critical that developing countries have “enough firepower and access to capital” to combat climate change and protect themselves from its effects, Biden told heads of government at a working session.

“We need to continue to give breathing space to countries that are weighed down by debt,” Biden said, adding, “We as leaders need to find ways to flow money into their economies."

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