Climate Home News authors call for a change in approach to climate philanthropy
Janet Fleischman and Jyotsna Uppal, authors of an opinion piece for Climate Home News, called on climate donors not to limit themselves to compensating for shortfalls in public funding. In their view, philanthropic organizations should seek new ways to support climate action amid weakening multilateral cooperation.
The authors said they analyzed the state of environmental multilateral cooperation through a literature review and interviews with policymakers, UN officials, regional actors, philanthropy representatives, and activists. In their view, it is important not only how individual countries affect the international system, but also whether the current model of cooperation meets climate challenges.
Coalitions and local actors
The opinion piece states that countries other than the United States continue to submit national climate plans and participate in global negotiations. At the same time, according to the authors, participation in such processes does not guarantee their effectiveness, as many commitments do not match the required level of action.
At the same time, regional, thematic, and plurilateral coalitions are emerging — voluntary alliances of countries, cities, companies, and civil society organizations focused on specific climate goals. The authors believe these alliances are increasingly filling gaps in practical action.
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Sarah Millar, program director at the international philanthropic network Climate Emergency Collaboration Group, described the transition as a task of fundamentally restructuring the global economy. Arunabha Ghosh, founder and former CEO of the Indian think tank Council on Energy, Environment and Water, said philanthropy has to compensate for a lack of public funds where development assistance fails.
Four areas of support
Fleischman and Uppal propose that donors expand support for local communities, civil society coalitions, and subnational actors implementing national climate plans. Among other areas, they named support for compelling public narratives and the voices of affected communities, more strategic engagement with the private sector, and readiness to fund risky approaches in project implementation, finance, and technology.
Christiana Figueres, former executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, stressed that climate progress is shaped not only by governments but also by subnational entities, financial corporations, and non-governmental organizations. Aylun Yang, a representative of Bloomberg Philanthropies' environmental program, named support for capable people and innovative ideas as one of philanthropy's key opportunities.
