Foreign Minister: Fighting Climate Change Will Be Expensive

Minister of Foreign Affairs Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson says that fighting against a 2°C warming of the planet will be costly, but Iceland is committed.

The Foreign Minister is currently attending the COP21 climate change talks in Paris this week, RÚV reports, where world leaders are trying to address how to prevent the planet from warming by another 2°C.

Gunnar Bragi says that to tackle this problem will require deep pockets. Everyone is expected to contribute to the Green Climate Fund, and Iceland is no exception. The country will be donating $1 million USD to the fund over the next five years.

“Of course, we are pushing others to chip in as well,” he told reporters. “It is very important that we reach our goal of some $100 million USD in this fund. We are now just between 10 and 20 million, if I remember right, so there’s still a long way to go.”

A warming of 2°C is predicted to have disastrous effects, not just on sea-level islands in the South Pacific, but also on coastal cities the world over, amongst other possible tragic consequences elsewhere in the world.