# Climate crisis URL: https://www.transparency.org/en/our-priorities/climate-crisis Type: Priority topic Published: 2020-03-10 Updated: 2025-02-07 --- # What does the climate crisis have to do with corruption? The climate crisis is arguably the biggest global challenge we have ever faced. The cost of responding to it, adapting to and mitigating the worst effects of global heating will be immense. These huge financial investments create tempting opportunities for corruption. *Externally hosted content may include ads. These aren't endorsed by or reflect Transparency International's views.* Climate finance is needed in trillions, and international funding for climate change adaptation and mitigation is set to reach from USD 100 billion to **over USD 300 billion per year by 2035. At COP29, [developed nations agreed to provide at least $300 billion annually to assist developing countries in combating climate change](https://apnews.com/article/united-nations-climate-talks-baku-azerbaijan-finance), including both adaptation and mitigation efforts. While these funds are intended to address urgent climate challenges, especially in vulnerable and developing countries, there are several risks that could lead to mismanagement and corruption. This is due to a lack of transparency, oversight, and anti-corruption safeguards within climate finance frameworks that increases the potential for exploitation by corrupt entities. Fighting climate change means fighting corruption. *Externally hosted content may include ads. These aren't endorsed by or reflect Transparency International's views.* ### Transparency International’s Climate Governance Integrity Programme works to ensure that this money reaches the vulnerable people who need it most. To ensure that governments are handling climate finance with integrity, transparency and accountability, governments must: - Build checks and balances into climate policy - Ensure flows of money are transparent - Monitor and be accountable about where they go ### We need open, inclusive climate governance. ## How Does Climate Finance Affect You? ![](https://images.transparencycdn.org/images/markus-spiske-1AaRGN_vyq0-unsplash.jpg?auto=compress&fit=crop&fm=webp&w=1200) The climate crisis affects all of us, but corruption weakens our ability to respond to its impacts. If we are going to do something about it, we must start with ensuring that our city, state, and national governments meet their climate goals. International coordination is also key when it comes to this truly global issue. While governments have pledged to finance climate action and reduce emissions, the lack of robust anti-corruption safeguards at COP raises serious concerns. Undue influence from powerful sectors, particularly the fossil fuel industry, is hijacking climate negotiations. With conflicts of interest clouding decision-making, it is crucial to ask: whose interests are truly being represented, and are our governments acting with the integrity required to drive real, transformative action. ## What needs to be done to promote integrity in climate finance? The [rates of corruption in climate vulnerable countries](https://www.transparency.org/en/news/making-climate-money-work)receiving climate finance is a serious cause for concern. The climate funding landscape is complex and fragmentary, complicating efforts to track financial flows (there is still no universally agreed upon definition of climate finance), and to ascertain who should be held accountable for decisions and their results. ## What We’re Doing About It Climate finance means many things, but falls into two categories: ### Mitigation finance: *money to stop climate change worsening, including for renewable energy, clean transport, carbon markets or reforestation projects* ![](https://images.transparencycdn.org/images/mark-merner-ZK69PVQj5nc-unsplash.jpg?auto=compress&fit=crop&fm=webp&w=1200) ### Adaptation finance: *money to help countries and communities already impacted, such as for flood defense, irrigation systems or emergency shelters* ![](https://images.transparencycdn.org/images/ivan-bandura-ROWu7-XhPws-unsplash.jpg?auto=compress&fit=crop&fm=webp&w=1200) We need to act together and put good governance at the centre of climate finance and action. TI’s [Climate Governance Integrity Programme](https://www.transparency.org/en/projects/climate-governance-integrity-programme) is committed to preventing corruption and shining a light on existing corruption risks and is pushing for changes: - Budgets, financial flows, and other relevant data must be publicly available. - Local communities have to be involved in decisions about how money is spent. - Safeguards are needed to prevent public officials and private operators getting kickbacks from climate projects. - Accountability systems to ensure independent monitoring of climate action. - Safe and accessible complaint mechanisms must be available and promoted. - Whistleblowers must be protected and the corrupt to be sanctioned. ## Find out more about our work ### News [+ More](https://www.transparency.org/en/search/filter?priority=climate-crisis&type=newsPost) ## [COP Talks: Formal Delegations, Informal Access](https://www.transparency.org/en/news/cop30-formal-delegations-informal-access) News • 14 September 2026 Our analysis of EU delegations found 63 fossil fuel-linked representatives accredited through nine EU Member States at COP30, raising concerns over transparency and influence in… ## [CoSP11: A critical moment for shaping the future of integrity worldwide](https://www.transparency.org/en/news/cosp11-shaping-future-of-political-integrity-international-anticorruption-day) News • 08 December 2025 International Anti-Corruption Day highlights rising insecurity and injustice and builds momentum for CoSP11. ## [Climate Summit or Industry Trade Fair?](https://www.transparency.org/en/news/climate-summit-or-industry-trade-fair) News • 15 October 2025 Transparency International analysed how companies attending COPs engage with climate policy at national and regional levels. ## [CPI 2024: Highlights and insights](https://www.transparency.org/en/news/cpi-2024-highlights-insights-corruption-climate-crisis) News • 11 February 2025 While some countries are making progress, corruption still affects billions of people worldwide and leaders are doing too little to stop it. ### Publications [+ More](https://www.transparency.org/en/search/filter?priority=climate-crisis&type=publication) ## [Annual Report 2025](https://www.transparency.org/en/publications/annual-report-2025) Publication • 17 July 2026 In 2025, Transparency International pursued its mission to stop corruption and promote transparency, accountability and integrity at all levels and across all sectors of society. ## [Fuelling Delay: How fossil fuel interests shape global climate negotiations](https://www.transparency.org/en/publications/fuelling-delay-how-fossil-fuel-interests-shape-global-climate-negotiations) Publication • 30 October 2025 Fuelling Delay draws on 39 interviews with climate negotiators, UNFCCC observers, and researchers, complemented by field observations from COP29 in Baku and the 2025 Bonn mid-year… ## [The role of business in fighting impunity and corruption to protect environmental defenders](https://www.transparency.org/en/publications/the-role-of-business-in-fighting-impunity-and-corruption-to-protect-environmental-defenders) Publication • 20 October 2025 The paper offers a roadmap for action, urging businesses, policymakers, and investors to embed integrity beyond compliance and strengthen protections for defenders and… ## [Behind the badge: Understanding the roles, reach, and risks of fossil fuel industry participation in UN climate talks](https://www.transparency.org/en/publications/behind-the-badge-understanding-roles-reach-risks-of-fossil-fuel-industry-participation-un-climate-talks) Publication • 17 June 2025 This analysis explores how fossil fuel interests access and influence UN climate talks, and highlights the risks this poses to transparency and integrity. ### Projects [+ More](https://www.transparency.org/en/search/filter?priority=climate-crisis&type=project) ## [Climate Governance Integrity Programme](https://www.transparency.org/en/projects/climate-governance-integrity-programme) Project Features monitoring and analysis of the nearly US$100 billion invested in climate prevention and adaption. ## [Towards Inclusive Governance for Forest Carbon Markets](https://www.transparency.org/en/projects/towards-inclusive-governance-for-forest-carbon-markets) Project This project is part of the Climate Governance Integrity Programme. ### Blog posts [+ More](https://www.transparency.org/en/search/filter?priority=climate-crisis&type=blogPost) [## Why COP31 must break free from fossil fuel influence Áron Suba 09 April 2026](https://www.transparency.org/en/blog/cop31-turkey-australia-fossil-fuel-influence "Why COP31 must break free from fossil fuel influence") [## Climate Accountability: Beyond Transparency & Public Participation Anoukh de Soysa 09 October 2025](https://www.transparency.org/en/blog/going-beyond-transparency-and-public-participation-in-climate-initiatives "Climate Accountability: Beyond Transparency & Public Participation") [## Strengthening Public Oversight in Climate Initiatives Anoukh de Soysa 24 July 2025](https://www.transparency.org/en/blog/strengthening-public-oversight-in-climate-initiatives "Strengthening Public Oversight in Climate Initiatives") [## Making multilateralism great again: What we learned in Sevilla Maíra Martini 09 July 2025](https://www.transparency.org/en/blog/making-multilateralism-great-again "Making multilateralism great again: What we learned in Sevilla") ### Press releases [+ More](https://www.transparency.org/en/search/filter?priority=climate-crisis&type=pressRelease) ## [Corruption-driven deforestation turbo-charges flood crisis in Sumatra](https://www.transparency.org/en/press/corruption-driven-deforestation-turbo-charges-flood-crisis-in-sumatra) Press • 19 December 2025 ## [Governments at UN convention summit must improve political finance rules – Transparency International](https://www.transparency.org/en/press/governments-at-un-convention-summit-must-improve-political-finance-rules) Press • 15 December 2025 ## [Closing statement by Brice Böhmer, Climate & Environment Lead, Transparency International](https://www.transparency.org/en/press/closing-statement-by-brice-b%C3%B6hmer-climate-environment-lead-transparency-international) Press • 22 November 2025 ## [Transparency concerns at COP30: Over half of delegates’ affiliations remain unclear](https://www.transparency.org/en/press/transparency-concerns-at-cop30-over-half-of-delegates-affiliations-unclear) Press • 12 November 2025 ## Explore all priorities - [Asset recovery and the theft of public money](https://www.transparency.org/en/our-priorities/asset-recovery-and-the-theft-of-public-money) - [Business integrity](https://www.transparency.org/en/our-priorities/business-and-corruption) - [Climate crisis](https://www.transparency.org/en/our-priorities/climate-crisis) - [Defence and security](https://www.transparency.org/en/our-priorities/defence-and-security) - [Dirty money](https://www.transparency.org/en/our-priorities/dirty-money) - [Extractive industries](https://www.transparency.org/en/our-priorities/extractive-industries) - [Foreign bribery enforcement](https://www.transparency.org/en/our-priorities/foreign-bribery-enforcement) - [Gender](https://www.transparency.org/en/our-priorities/gender-and-corruption) - [Grand corruption](https://www.transparency.org/en/our-priorities/grand-corruption) - [Health](https://www.transparency.org/en/our-priorities/health-and-corruption) - [Judiciary and law enforcement](https://www.transparency.org/en/our-priorities/judiciary-and-law-enforcement) - [Land corruption](https://www.transparency.org/en/our-priorities/land-corruption) - [Political integrity](https://www.transparency.org/en/our-priorities/political-integrity) - [Public procurement](https://www.transparency.org/en/our-priorities/public-procurement) - [Right to information](https://www.transparency.org/en/our-priorities/right-to-information) - [Sustainable Development Goals](https://www.transparency.org/en/our-priorities/sustainable-development-goals) - [Whistleblowing](https://www.transparency.org/en/our-priorities/whistleblowing) Asset recovery and the theft of public money Business integrity Climate crisis Defence and security Dirty money Extractive industries Foreign bribery enforcement Gender Grand corruption Health Judiciary and law enforcement Land corruption Political integrity Public procurement Right to information Sustainable Development Goals Whistleblowing