U.N. launches website to track climate change aid

The United Nations has launched a website to track whether rich countries are providing help to poor countries on climate change.

The site, located at www.faststartfinance.org, lists the amount of money countries have contributed for financing climate change activities in poorer countries. At the Copenhagen summit last year in Denmark, rich countries said they would contribute $30 billion for the 2010-2012 period.

According to the site, five countries have committed money so far: Norway, Great Britain, France, Denmark and the Netherlands. The U.S. is not listed.

The financing is intended to help poorer countries prepared to implement new technologies that would help them reduce carbon emissions. The payments from developed countries to developing countries have been one of the most controversial aspects of international climate talks.