Does it outrage you that the countries who are most to blame for global warming are (for the most part) not those who have to deal with its consequences? What are some of the reasons for why money which was pledged to fight the causes and effects of climate change is not used for this? What can be done about this problem? Would raising awareness help?
It’s concerning that so little funding is provided to countries which are directly affected by climate change despite the enormous sums of money allocated for that purpose in other parts of the world. I think the main cause of this is that disingenuous politicians want to win over voters. As more people in the western world become worried about the effects of climate change, political parties have to appeal to these voters if they want to stay in power, whether they actually want to address climate change or not, so they pledge to finance projects aiming to fight global warming. However, it is clear from the data provided in this article that the funds are used for completely different purposes, for example building coal power plants or outfitting the police, and almost half of the money pledged is never even disbursed. The politicians get to have their cake and eat it too – they satisfy their voters by “fighting climate change” and get to spend more money on the things they really want at the same time.
ReplyDeleteI’m surprised that the UNFCCC or OECD haven’t done anything to address this discrepancy. As the article mentions, every country uses a different methodology to figure out the amount of money pledged to alleviate the effects of climate change, which seems to be one thing that could easily be standardized, allowing everyone to see how much money is really used for fighting the climate crisis. I believe that raising awareness about this issue could genuinely help, as politicians will be held accountable by their voters for pledging to donate but not delivering on their promises. One more thing that could be changed is that very little funding is sent to countries experiencing the most severe effects of climate change. Most of those countries don’t have enough money to finance basic institutions like education and healthcare, yet they are expected to allocate funds for fighting climate change too. Perhaps the UNFCCC or OECD should require donors to allocate a certain percentage of their climate funds to countries which are directly affected by the climate crisis.
It's a shame that these severely affected countries aren’t receiving more aid. I can only hope that sometime in the future the money that was pledged will be paid in full to those who need it most.
- Sofia
Sofia, I share your concern regarding the misuse of money that politicians pledge to use to address climate change. It is sad that politicians choose to rather search for deceitful tactics that allow them to win over more voters, instead of actually caring and investing their time trying to figure out how to mitigate important issues, such as global warming. I believe that political campaigns should be based on providing real answers that are actually going to be implemented and that are beneficial to everyone in some way. Politicians should stop lying and expressing intentions solely to cater to voter preferences when they do not genuinely plan to implement them.
DeleteThat does not mean, however, that politicians should try to persuade people that major global issues do not represent any danger, and thus do not need any financing, or that their country is above global initiatives and they should prioritize national interests. I am specifically thinking of Donald Trump, who decided to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement back when he was the president of the United States. Such decisions, especially if made by powerful countries such as the United States can lead to catastrophic consequences which can greatly impact our lives.
- Oliver T.
It is outrageous that countries are still not taking climate change seriously. The effects of global warming are quite evident. For example, 2023 was the warmest year on record and I think that many people here in Europe could feel that the summer heat waves were more intense. During summer vacation, exploring the streets of Madrid or Rome throughout the day has become unbearable as the temperatures are incredibly high and the sunbeams feel like burning through your skin. I cannot imagine how much worse it is in Africa and how people have to experience these extreme temperatures every day. It is easy to understand that with weaker economies and with such little financial support obtained from developed countries, investing in more pressing needs, such as feeding, caring for, and educating people, is the number one choice for African countries, and not focusing on improving the climate when the basic needs of the people are not provided.
ReplyDeleteThe world should increase their focus on climate change. Developed countries should definitely invest more money into reducing their own carbon footprint and should also offer financial aid to developing countries, such as in Africa, which are on the battlefront of global warming caused mainly by the developed countries themselves. It is an unacceptable act that rich countries fake their data and provide much less money than they claim and there should certainly be some rules which would prevent this from happening. Moreover, building coal-fired power plants and counting their financing as climate finance is also unjustifiable. People should urge their governments to take action and actually fight climate change because it really poses a threat not only to us, but also future generations, and might have devastating consequences if ignored.
- Oliver T.
Oliver, I agree that the world as a whole is not focusing on climate change enough. This is especially true for Slovakia, where climate change seems to be basically nonexistent to the government. The bottle deposit system was implemented here only recently, while in Germany it has existed since 2002. How come Germany is so much better at addressing climate change than Slovakia? I think one of the reasons is that there are no big “green” parties active in Slovakia, and the parties that promise to combat climate change focus on other issues, putting climate change on the back burner. However, even if there were more “green” parties, I don’t think that they would get very many votes, as the people here seem entirely uninterested in climate change. Maybe it’s because of the prevalence of conspiracy theories, just a lack of education about the subject or perhaps that they have issues which seem more pressing on their minds. I believe that an awareness campaign would be able to change people’s view on climate change and make them realize how big of a problem it actually is.
Delete- Sofia
Hi Oliver, I’ve personally been to Rome last summer and I can say it was almost unbearable! It must have been hell in - as you mentioned - Africa. One other great example that came to my mind just as soon as I read the article title, was Panama. It is one of only 3 countries in the world that is carbon negative, but nevertheless it is one for which the consequences of climate change are tangible. Near its Atlantic (Caribbean) coastline, some 300 islands called Guna Yala are located which are still inhabited by indigenous tribes of people- Gunas, living in what would in today’s standards be considered an outdated fashion, which for them is traditional. They refused to modernize and migrate to big cities because they enjoy their way of life. They live off fishing and chicken they raise, with many islands not even having electricity or clean water. And it irks me to think that all of these islands will soon be just a memory of the past, as the ocean levels rise, and all of these wonderful people of whom I’ve met many, will be forcefully displaced, their communities broken, and their culture vanished, as a consequence of actions by climate polluting countries and individuals in far places.
DeleteI indeed agree with the point you made that for the less developed countries, it is not their number one priority, and should receive financial aid from those who have already developed. When thinking about how these countries have developed, it was through industrialization and they are the ones who are to blame the most for climate change, and it out of international comradeship and care for the planet on which we all live, it is only fair that they provide financial assistance to those in need, so that they don’t have to resort to developing in the same way as them, but can also combat the negative impacts laid on them by climate change.
I am disgusted by the fact that developed countries fake data about how much money is allocated to helping these countries and combating climate change, and I definitely agree that some rules or perhaps even laws need to be made to prevent this. Starting with simple awareness raising and therefore holding these people, or at least their image and reputation accountable. Resorting once again to cheaper and quicker alternatives such as coal-fired power plants, and hiding their financing under funds meant to be fighting climate change is hypocritical. Germany, for example, a nation that presents itself in the forefront of the fight against climate change, has recently been funding and orchestrating large coal mining projects. I agree that something needs to be done about this issue, because soon it will not only be the Gunas feeling its horrid consequences, but people in all corners of the world.
-Michal K.