Biden Wants Record $11 Billion in Climate Aid to Poor Nations

President Joe Biden is asking Congress to dedicate $11 billion in taxpayer dollars to help other nations deploy clean energy and withstand the growing consequences of climate change -- more than 10 times the amount lawmakers doled out to the effort in fiscal 2022.

If Congress goes along, the spending would mark a massive shift for the U.S., following years of unfulfilled promises of climate funding for developing and vulnerable nations. The financial support is seen as critical to advancing climate diplomacy, helping poor countries avoid greenhouse gas emissions and bolstering the resiliency of vulnerable nations on the front lines of global warming. It also is key to Biden’s effort to prove to the world the U.S. has returned as a global leader in the fight against climate change.