“Climate aid ignores human and environmental rights”
New study by the Heinrich Böll Foundation concerning the climate negotiations in Cancun
(November 27, 2010) International climate aid disregards international environmental law and human rights. As the international climate negotiations in Cancun, Mexico, begin, a new study titled “A Matter of Principle(s)” by the German Green political foundation puts forward proposals calling for climate finance to honor ecological and human rights.
“Billions in public funds are required for international climate protection in developing countries, yet no quality standards for this funding exist,” criticized Barbara Unmüßig, President of the Heinrich Böll Foundation.
While debates about pledges for billions of dollars are expected during the Cancun meeting, the qualitative and normative perspective may not be given sufficient attention. “Existing international environmental law and human rights standards must provide direction for allocating funds, otherwise, we must fear immense misdirected investments and human rights violations,” Unmüßig explained.
“The fundamental principle must be that the funds cause no new social or ecological harm. That means: no support for nuclear power, and no financing for monocultures, for example for biofuels, if the universal basic right to food is at risk,” said Unmüßig. Large dams also have massive impacts on local people’s livelihoods, for instance because of relocation or insufficient compensation payments. In the future, people affected by climate change are to be included in decision-making concerning climate protection projects. In addition, the establishment of independent complaints mechanisms is necessary so that the people affected (for instance, small-scale farmers, women or indigenous peoples) can demand public accountability for failed projects.
The Heinrich Böll Foundation’s new study presents a comprehensive catalog of criteria in the form of a check list. “These criteria and principles are to apply to all international organizations that transfer public monies to the South for climate protection,” demanded Liane Schalatek, author of the study and Associate Director of the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Washington, DC. “For instance, climate aid must take into account that climate change impacts women and men differently. Food security in rural areas of Africa is mostly the women’s responsibility. So agricultural adaptation projects must make it possible to target credit as well as capacity-building to women’s needs.”
Public climate funds must be used especially where the private sector is not investing, for example, adaptation to the impacts of climate change. “We need better coordination between public and private investments,” said Schalatek. However, private investments, too, should follow the recommendations outlined in the study to rule out environmentally damaging projects.
THE STUDY
"A Matter of Principle(s)
A Normative Framework for a Global Compact on Public Climate Finance"
By Liane Schalatek, Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung
Berlin, November 2010, 63 Pages
Download at:
http://www.boell.org/web/index-684.html
CLIMATE NEGOTIATIONS IN CANCUN (COP 16)
Website Heinrich Böll Foundation:
http://www.boell.de/ecology/climate/climate-energy.html
Heinrich Böll Foundation’s activities during COP 16:
http://www.boell.de/downloads/TXT_20101125_Activities_COP16.pdf
Blog „Climate Equity“:
http://climatequity.org/
The latest information on climate funds:
www.climatefundsupdate.org
PRESS CONTACT:
Karoline Hutter, Press Department, Heinrich Böll Foundation,
Schumannstraße 8, 10117 Berlin, T +49 –(0)30-285 34 - 202,
M +49 (0)160-365 77 22, E , W www.boell.de
----
1