The fight against corruption and the fight for climate justice are not separate struggles, but rather two sides of the same coin. Corruption is a major obstacle to addressing the threat of climate change. Combatting corruption is essential for building a sustainable and equitable future.
A recent article titled "Corruption and climate change: the key to the past and the fight for the future" co-authored by Ke Rafitoson, the Executive Director of TI Madagascar, and François Valérian, Transparency International Board Member sheds light on the critical link between corruption and climate change, and highlights the urgent need to address both issues together to build a sustainable and equitable future.
The authors provide valuable insights and recommendations for policymakers and advocates working to combat corruption and promote climate justice.
Abstract:
“Corruption lies at the root of the climate crisis. This article highlights the linkages between the two phenomena in various aspects, starting with a short case study on Madagascar and exploring the evidence drawn from civil society action, available data and recent literature. It clearly sets that without corruption, carbon emissions would have been and would be much lower, as corruption facilitated hydrocarbons’ extraction for more than a century and reduces forests’ ability to absorb carbon.
Climate policies are hampered by corruption and climate finance is diverted by corruption. Ultimately, corruption weakens our resilience to climate change, increasing our societies’ vulnerability to it, and therefore threatens human lives, which in turn fuels corruption.
This vicious circle implies that fighting for climate justice is fighting against corruption.”
We encourage our readers to read the full article.
