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Debt relief and financing climate change action

Nature Climate Change volume 4, pages 650–653 (2014)Cite this article

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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.

The institutional framework for climate finance has evolved considerably during the past two decades. However, the inability to mobilize adequate and predictable funds to support adaptation and mitigation in developing countries has become a principal source of tension between developed and 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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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Leeds, School of Earth and Environment, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK

    Adrian Fenton, Stavros Afionis & Jouni Paavola

  2. Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy (CCCEP), School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK

    Adrian Fenton, Stavros Afionis & Jouni Paavola

  3. International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD), Independent University Bangladesh, Aftabuddin Ahmed Road, Dhaka, 1229, Bangladesh

    Adrian Fenton, Helena Wright & Saleemul Huq

  4. Centre for Environmental Policy, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London, SW7 2AZ, UK

    Helena Wright

  5. International Institute for Environment and Development, Climate Change Group, 3 Endsleigh Street, London, WC1H 0DD, UK

    Saleemul Huq

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  1. Adrian Fenton
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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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