THE US has withdrawn from a climate agreement where rich nations have pledged billions of dollars to help a small group of developing countries switch from coal to green energy, one of the participating countries said today.

South Africa said it had received notice that the US had withdrawn from the International Partners Group (IPG), a bloc of rich countries that has pledged money for energy transitions in South Africa, Indonesia, Vietnam and Senegal.

The bloc includes the European Union, Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Canada, Japan, Norway and Denmark.