Obama to pledge $3 billion for international 'green' fund

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Friday will announce a $3 billion U.S. contribution to the green climate fund, an international effort to help poor countries cope with the effects of climate change, according to an administration official. Obama is expected to announce the pledge at this weekend's meeting of G-20 industrial nations in Australia. The contribution would make the second major move on climate change taken by Obama after big Democratic losses in last week's midterm elections. The United States would join other countries, including Mexico, South Korea, Germany, France, and Japan, in pledging to the fund. The fund will work in step with private sector investment and help spur global markets in clean energy technologies, creating opportunities for entrepreneurs and manufacturers including those from the United States. (Refiles to say effects, not affects, in first paragraph) (Reporting by Timothy Gardner and Ros Krasny; Editing by Susan Heavey)