Chris Huhne said today (July 12) that a deal on climate finance ‘is vital to breaking the climate deadlock’.

The secretary of state for energy and climate change spoke out as he arrived in New York for a meeting of the High Level Advisory Group on Climate Change Financing.

The group was set up to identify ways of raising new sources of climate financing to reach $100 billion a year of public and private finance by 2020 as agreed during the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen last December.

Mr Huhne said: “Helping developing countries tackle climate change is crucial if we are to secure a comprehensive and ambitious deal.

“Aside from a moral obligation to help vulnerable countries who have historically contributed little to the problem, it’s also in our own interests to provide practical support.

“I’m looking forward to getting down to work with colleagues in New York to secure the long term finance needed to tackle climate change and kick start a renewed push towards a truly ambitious climate change deal.”

The meeting will be chaired by prime ministers Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia and Jens Stoltenberg of Norway, the group consists of finance and environment Ministers and economic and finance experts including President Obama’s chief economic advisor Larry Summers, George Soros and professor Nick Stern.

Proposals from the groups work is expected to be presented to the United Nations by the end of October 2010, ahead of the international discussions in Cancun, Mexico.

Luke Walsh

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