This year’s international climate talks are expected to be headlined by fraught negotiations over how Canada and other wealthy countries, who have contributed a disproportionate share of planet-warming emissions, should financially compensate other nations in their fight to tackle climate change.
Many pressing questions for negotiators are on the table: How much should those wealthy countries pay? Which countries will have to contribute? And how should the money be provided?
The answers may determine just how much money developing countries could receive for everything from renewable energy projects to wetlands conservation.
Failure to achieve a new goal at the United Nation’s annual climate talks may undercut confidence in major international agreements and strike a blow against efforts to limit global warming, observers say.
“It’s pretty high stakes,” said Bill Hare, CEO of Climate Analytics, a Berlin-based climate think tank.
Here’s what you need to know about the climate finance negotiations …