Australia spurns UN's climate fund

Australia will continue to pay for climate change adaptation in vulnerable South Pacific island nations out of its own foreign aid budget rather than donate to the United Nations' Green Climate Fund, which was designed for the same purpose, the country's foreign minister said on Friday ahead of climate talks in Peru.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said governments should judge for themselves whether bilateral action to reduce the impact of climate change on developing countries was a more efficient use of aid money than donating through the UN.

"The Green Climate Fund is about helping developing countries build resilience to climate change. Australia is already doing that through our aid program," Bishop said before leading the Australian delegation to Lima for the UN climate summit.