Portugal has pledged a total of 6.5 million euros to multilateral climate programs, stated Maria da Graça Carvalho at the 30th United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP30) in Belém, Brazil. Portugal had already committed four million euros this year to the Loss and Damage Fund and the Green Climate Fund.
During COP30, Prime Minister Luís Montenegro promised one million euros to the Tropical Forests Fund, and the minister pledged another million for the Adaptation Fund, along with 200,000 euros to support the UNFCCC Secretariat operations.
Over the next five years, Portugal will allocate 1.5 million euros for cooperation managed by the United Nations Development Program for the Community of Portuguese Language Countries, equating to 300,000 euros annually.
The Foreign Minister has also decided to fund one million euros for the Pacific small island states concerning climate change, according to Maria da Graça Carvalho.
Bilateral cooperation projects are also underway, with energy investments in Africa amounting to 113 million euros, including a dam in Angola’s Huíla state, in addition to water, climate, environment, and waste projects in Africa, Asia, and Latin America totaling 18 million euros.
“Therefore, this amounts to 137 million euros in cooperation from Portugal with developing countries,” noted Maria da Graça Carvalho. She acknowledged that some projects have yet to begin, such as a waste management project in Argentina.
Francisco Ferreira, president of environmental association Zero, stressed the need for increased climate funding from Portugal. “Both public and private sectors must increase their financial contributions. There is no doubt about that,” he remarked.
Reflecting on decisions from COP29, Ferreira highlighted the target of 1.3 trillion dollars annually in climate finance for developing countries by 2035, with 300 million from public funding. He criticized Portugal’s contributions as minimal, characterizing them as “peanuts.”
“Portugal’s obligation is disproportionate, even for a small country facing challenges,” he asserted. “We must contribute a much more significant percentage, not the negligible amount we currently do.”
On private financing, Ferreira criticized a lack of transparency, stating that Portuguese companies involved in development projects are not adequately listed for their contributions.
The ongoing COP30, hosted until Friday in Belém, initiated the plenary session today where ministers will now helm the climate negotiations.
