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Debt relief and financing climate change action

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Slow progress in scaling-up climate finance has emerged as a major bottleneck in international negotiations. Debt relief for climate finance swaps could provide an alternative source for financing mitigation and adaptation action in developing countries.

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Figure 1: The long-term bilateral and total long-term external debt of low-income countries in 2012.
Figure 2: Histogram showing long-term bilateral debt as a proportion of total long-term external debt for low-income countries.

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Acknowledgements

We thank James Porter (University of Leeds) for his helpful comments.

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Correspondence to Adrian Fenton.

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Fenton, A., Wright, H., Afionis, S. et al. Debt relief and financing climate change action. Nature Clim Change 4, 650–653 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2303

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