US Vice President Kamala Harris has announced new funding of $20 million for clean energy projects in the Mekong region.
“Bold climate action is not only necessary to protect the people of our planet and our natural resources, but it is also powerful driver of economic growth,” she said, addressing leaders at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit on Sunday.
“In particular we know that the climate crisis presents a real threat to the communities who depend on the Mekong River. In Thailand, in Vietnam, Laos.”
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She spoke to civil society and business leaders in Bangkok after the close of a meeting of the 21-member APEC bloc a day earlier.
In an earlier news release, she said the administration would request funding from Congress for the Japan-U.S.-Mekong Power Partnership (JUMPP), through which the two countries partner with regional nations to promote sustainable energy.
- Reuters, with additional editing from Alfie Habershon
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