The US government has rejected a global deal aimed at helping developing countries, including Kenya, mitigate the effects of climate change.
President Donald Trump's administration has rejected reforms that seek to introduce climate taxation and reinforcement of credit ratings, and fossil fuel subsidies, according to Reuters.
In particular, the US government is against a call for countries to explore global solidarity levies that include taxes on highly polluting activities and a proposal for only rich countries to fund climate change mitigation efforts.
Reuters also noted that the US is against reforms in the credit ratings which proposes a more forigive credit rating for poor countries that voluntarily restructre their debt and invest in green projects.
Further, Trump's administration is demanding the revocation of a section of the UN proposal, which calls for foreign companies to pay a climate tax to the host countries where they carry out their economic activity.
While the US strongly opposes the climate levy, the controversial tax has similarly received criticism from Russia, China and Saudi Arabia, which bear corresponding reservations.
If passed, the proposal could see industrialised countries pay more to finance climate change activities.
The money would then be channelled to most third-world countries facing the climate change crisis.
Two months ago, Kenya endorsed the climate tax proposal alongside France and Barbados, seeking a carbon tax on all shipping activities globally as part of the broader scheme to curb the perennial climate dilemma.
Kenya’s Special Envoy for Climate Change, Ali Mohammed, on March 27, expressed the country’s approval of the tax, stating that Kenya was among the frontline casualties of climate challenges.
According to him, the current climate crisis facing the world did not primarily origniate from developing nations but rather, from industralised countries, especially those in the West with outsized historical emmisions.
"Under the principle of Common but Differentiated Responsibilities (CBDR), those who fuelled climate change must lead in funding the solutions," said Mohammed.
However, experts argue that while the tax would benefit most developing nations, it also comes with drawbacks, including increased importation costs.
CBDR) acknowledges that all countries share responsibility for addressing global environmental problems such as climate change, but not equally. Developed nations contribute more to greenhouse gas emissions and have greater economic and technological capacity, and are therefore expected to take on a larger burden of action and support for developing countries.
