UN calls for major climate funding boost to shield frontline communities

The United Nations Secretary-General called for a substantial increase in climate finance to protect vulnerable communities at the start of the global climate summit. He warned that, despite rapid growth in clean-energy capacity, the world is still on track for more than 2°C of warming, which threatens floods, heatwaves and widespread suffering. The call emphasised the need for climate funding that reaches at-risk populations directly, including coastal communities, small-scale farmers and informal urban settlements. Tanzanian officials reiterated that loss and damage finance, adaptation funding and technology transfer are critical if countries like Tanzania are to cope with climate impacts that they did not cause. The message comes as high-emitting nations face heightened pressure at the summit to deliver on past promises and scale up support for the global south.