NZ increases support to countries vulnerable to climate emergency: PM

The New Zealand government is making a four-fold increase in the support it provides to countries most vulnerable to the climate emergency, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday.

New Zealand will provide NZ$1.3 billion ($921 million) over four years to support countries most vulnerable to the effects of climate change, she said in the lead up to the UN climate conference in Glasgow, reports Xinhua news agency.

The investment will support clean energy projects in developing countries, ensure buildings are able to withstand more damaging storms, crops are resilient to droughts, floods and new pests, and communities are protected from sea level rise and storm surges, said the Prime Minister.

Minister of Climate Change James Shaw confirmed that at least half of the new climate finance commitment, which covers the period 2022 to 2025, will go towards supporting New Zealand's Pacific neighbours who are already experiencing rising sea levels and more extreme weather.

"For these countries, the impacts of climate change that scientists have been warning us about for decades are not academic, or a distant threat; they are happening right now," Shaw said - IANS