Bloomberg offers climate cash to UN amid Trump cutbacks

By Karl Mathiesen | 01/22/2025 04:45 PM EST

The move by billionaire Mike Bloomberg comes in response to President Donald Trump’s move to pull funding for U.N. climate programs.

Mike Bloomberg speaks to reporters.

Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg is contributing money to the U.N. climate fund. Brynn Anderson/AP

Billionaire and former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg plans to increase his financial support for the United Nations climate body, in anticipation of the Trump administration’s expected funding cuts to the institution, according to one person with knowledge of the arrangements.

The secretariat of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) assists with running annual global climate conferences and is tasked by nations with monitoring progress on lowering greenhouse gas emissions. Its core budget comes from the nearly 200 countries that make up its membership.

The U.S., as the world’s largest economy, pays the largest dues. But President Donald Trump is expected to end those payments at a time when the U.N. climate secretariat has expressed concern about lacking the money to address a growing list of duties demanded by member states.

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Officials for Bloomberg Philanthropies and the UNFCCC secretariat declined to confirm or deny the plan to aid the U.N. organization.

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