Czech government pledges cash for developing countries to deal with climate change

The Czech Republic is prepared to offer around 300 million crowns to poor countries to help them deal with climate change. The pledge was made by Prime Minister Jan Fischer at the start of a two-day meeting in Brussels on Thursday. He said the cash should come from funds already earmarked for development and should be made available from 2010 to 2012. European leaders agreed on Friday to set aside around 187 billion crowns, or around 7.2 billion euros, as short-term support for developing countries. The EU hopes that the cash pledge will help smooth a deal on climate change at the Copenhagen summit.

Author: Chris Johnstone