The former archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, has called on rich countries and wealthy individuals to urgently come up with the cash needed to help poor countries affected by climate change.
At the Cop27 UN climate summit in Egypt, the first steps were taken to establish a loss and damage fund for vulnerable countries hit by extreme weather.
Although Williams welcomed this development, he believes the "much harder" work of filling the fund still needs to be done.
The recently concluded 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) saw world leaders unite to address the urgent need to combat climate change.
One of the key topics at the conference was supporting poorer nations who are facing the worst impacts of climate change.
During the conference, the first steps were taken towards the establishment of a loss and damage fund for vulnerable countries.
The former archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, has welcomed the establishment of the fund but has called for rich countries and wealthy individuals to provide the much-needed cash to fill the fund.
Williams has also emphasised that the fund's fulfilment will be a harder task than its establishment.
Williams explained that "We need significant sums, now, urgently," adding that rich countries should "remember that they should pay something of a price for the enormous benefits they've had over the years through industrialisation.
" The fund aims to provide help to the countries worst affected by climate disasters, including floods, droughts, and wildfires, helping to rebuild homes, infrastructure and agriculture in less wealthy nations.
The world's wealthiest nations have been criticised for their lack of commitment to tackle climate change, including a failure to meet their financial pledge of $100bn per year to help poorer nations cope with its impacts.
With countries still struggling to secure funding to fight the ongoing battle against climate change, news of the fund's establishment brings hope for those in need, with financial support from some of the wealthiest individuals and countries essential to ensure the fund's success.