| Author: | Dr Iida-Maria Tammi |
| Date: | 11.10.2024 |
| Downloads: |
Paper (EN)
Executive Summary (EN) Executive Summary (DE) |
Why Climate Finance Matters for Humanitarian Organisations
Global warming has many negative humanitarian impacts. Climate finance is essential for curbing them. Mitigation funding can slow down climate change and thus contribute towards reduced rate and severity of extreme weather events and other climate hazards. Adaptation funding increases the resilience of climate-vulnerable countries and thus lowers the likelihood of climate risks turning into humanitarian emergencies. In cases where risks cannot be mitigated or adapted to, loss and damage (L&D) funding supports recovery and helps societies cope with the losses they’ve suffered.
Yet climate finance has fallen short of its humanitarian promise. Not only is there a shortage of funds, but they often fail to reach individuals and groups most vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change. In this paper CHA Research Fellow Iida-Maria Tammi analyses the causes and (humanitarian) effects of such policy gaps. She also identifies key debates that humanitarians should follow in the upcoming climate conference (COP29) and proposes measures to support more efficient and equitable use of climate funds.
The paper finds that the following factors inhibit climate finance from reaching its full humanitarian potential:
1) lack of grant-based funding;
2) obscure donor reporting practices;
3) shortage of adaptation funding (especially for fragile and conflict-affected countries); and
4) double-counting of humanitarian and climate funds.
To ameliorate these issues, the paper encourages humanitarian organisations to take active part in COP29. The conference is expected to make many important decisions, including setting a new collective quantified goal for climate finance (NCGQ). While a significant increase in climate funding is vital, this is not enough. Much depends on the way in which needs are identified and resources distributed among beneficiaries.
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