The Green Climate Fund (GCF) is a global platform established to respond to climate change by investing in low-emission and climate-resilient development. The fund also assists vulnerable societies in adapting to the unavoidable impacts of climate change. Climate-related extremes have affected productivity in agriculture, forestry, and fisheries. Droughts, floods, wildfires, and marine heatwaves have affected food security, nutrition, and the livelihoods of millions.

The United States — responsible for a huge share of emissions causing this crisis –included no money for the GCF in last year’s budget, despite the efforts of UUSJ and its partners. The FY-2023 budget now under consideration provides an excellent opportunity to fulfill our moral responsibility to help poorer countries that are the least responsible for the emissions causing global warming. The Biden Administration’s proposal of $1.6 billion for the Green Climate Fund for 2023 is a good start, though an actual fair share amount would be larger. 

Last month, UUSJ’s advocacy efforts urged lawmakers to support the administration’s GCF proposal.  Environmental Action Team (EAT) volunteers helped coordinated the Write Here! Write Now! campaign and UUSJ hosted Joe Thwaites from the World Resources Institute Sustainable Finance Center for an Expert Opinion Briefing (video), attended by more than 50 people.

UUSJ also contacted members of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs, to learn why the GCF fell out of the FY-2022 budget and what can be done for the FY-2023 cycle. UUSJ met with Sens. Chris Coons (D-DE), Chair, Dick Durbin (D-IL), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Marc Rubio (R-FL). Sen. Merkley — a champion of the fund — provided a letter of support from the FY 22 cycle (June 2021) and pledged to continue pushing for the GCF as a smart, solid, climate policy and program investment.

Special thanks to the Illinois UU State Action Network, which helped drive UU constituent participation for a nice showing with Sen. Durbin, and for showcasing how UU state actors and UUSJ can successfully collaborate to impact federal action.

In our meetings, UUSJ learned that:

• Supportive negotiators requested a “high topline [figure]” intended to gain maximum support, but that a committee vote on the bill would strengthen the case for GCF funding later in the FY-23 appropriations process. 
• Republicans question the GCF’s ability to underwrite projects in countries with complex relationships with the US such as China, Iran, North Korea, and Yemen. Republicans also see little return for American taxpayers, who are deeply concerned about job creation and the economy. 
• Democrats applaud the GCF and its approach to climate policy but concede its name includes political trigger terms — “green” and “climate” – which can be a stumbling block for bipartisan support. They add that GCF funding would be a large part of the budget’s non-military foreign spending, and foreign assistance programs. And supporters don’t want to shut down the government for it as part of the appropriations process. 

UUSJ supports the GCF, its approach to climate policy, and its role in meeting U.S. moral obligation as the world’s largest historical greenhouse gas emitter. The GCF can also potentially benefit U.S. firms active in the climate and green cluster as well as the knowledge, industry, and financing sectors.

If you are interested in meeting with your Senator on this, please let us know by filling out this form or emailing (advocacy@uusj.org).

Subcommittee Senators include:

1. Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-VT)
2. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH)
3. Chris Murphy (D-CT)
4. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD)
5. Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
6. Roy Blunt (R-MO)
7. John Boozman (R-AR)
8. Jerry Moran (R-KS), and
9. Bill Hagerty (R-TN).