If incoming President Donald Trump reneges from U.S. commitments on climate funding and mitigation, it could yield influence and diplomatic clout to China, climate experts warned this week.
China could step in to fill some of the void left if the United States backed out of pledges, Sir Edward Davey, former U.K. secretary of state for energy and climate change told Devex.
“If the U.S. pulls back from funding developing countries on climate, I doubt the rest of the developed world would simply step in and take up the slack,” he said. Instead, Davey suggested China may observe “a diplomatic opportunity” and “step in at least partially,” he said.
Read more on our coverage of the World Economic Forum:
► China could gain clout if US backs out of climate commitments, experts say
► How this tech startup drew the attention of Gavi, Gates and Google
► Q&A: Plan International CEO on legitimacy in a moment of populism
► Opinion: What the development community can expect from Davos
► Business leaders call for new socially focused business model that embraces SDGs
About the author
Molly Andersmollyanders_dev
Molly Anders is a former U.K. correspondent for Devex. Based in London, she reports on development finance trends with a focus on British and European institutions. She is especially interested in evidence-based development and women’s economic empowerment, as well as innovative financing for the protection of migrants and refugees. Molly is a former Fulbright Scholar and studied Arabic in Syria, Jordan, Egypt and Morocco.
