Rich nations are failing on promises to help poorer ones meet the goals of the Paris agreement on climate change, even though such help would be "not charity but a global act of self-interest," U.N. climate chief Patricia Espinosa said on Monday.
In an unusually pointed speech, she decried the erosion of the "strong, willing and informed leadership" that led to the 2015 accord, noting a "retreat" by leaders of many large-emitting nations from meeting commitments at home and abroad.
While she did not give examples, U.S. President Donald Trump, for instance, has blocked climate action set in motion by his predecessor, Barack Obama, and plans to pull his country out of the Paris agreement next month.