UN climate talks: 19 countries double funds for clean energy research

The US and 18 other countries have pledged to double funds for clean energy research to a total of $20 billion over five years, boosting a parallel initiative by Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg and increasing the prospects for successful agreement at the Paris climate negotiations that start today.

The countries, which include the UK, Canada, China, Brazil, India and South Africa, span the biggest global economies and major emitters, oil and gas producers, and leaders in clean energy research.

Countries are aiming to sign an agreement that would offer financial support to poor nations to help them cut emissions and cope with the effects of extreme weather, as well as targets on limiting global emissions that would come into effect from 2020, when current commitments run out.

Tech and business leaders, including America’s Bill Gates, George Soros, Meg Whitman and Mark Zuckerberg, Germany’s Hasso Plattner, India’s Ratan Tata and China’s Jack Ma, will also pledge on Monday to take on additional investment risks to bring environmental technologies coming out of scientific research to the marketplace.

The announcement came as the first of more than 130 world leaders began arriving in Paris in preparation for the crunch negotiations. They will attend the first day of the two-week talks on Monday, instructing their negotiating teams.

Security was tight across the French capital, with many of the main roads around the conference centre shut for most of the day and a heavy police and army presence, following the terror attacks in the city earlier this month.