Copenhagen blog 4: Bribing for a deal

Tim Jones, WDM policy officer, writes from Copenhagen

Off a train. Onto a bus. Into a convention centre with thousands of people. Faces everywhere. Frowning faces, happy faces, confused faces. Lots of confused faces. 

Sitting on a green sofa I bump into Dwijen, a friend from a walk we went on a couple of years ago. Dwijen works with communities in Bangladesh already suffering from climate change.

One of the key issues in Copenhagen is ‘short-term finance’; money in the next few years to help developing countries adapt to climate change and cut emissions. For people in Bangladesh, it is vital to get more resources now to deal with the already increasingly devastating floods.

Unfortunately the UK government knows this. Climate secretary Ed Miliband and international development secretary Douglas Alexander were both in Bangladesh in September. ‘Unfortunate’ you say, ‘surely it’s a good thing UK politicians know what is happening in Bangladesh?’

The UK is using the prospect of money now to split developing countries, and force through agreements the UK likes. There’s nothing like desperate need to bring countries into line.

One objective the UK has is to set the World Bank up as the Climate Bank, which has been consistently opposed by developing countries. Dwijen says: “The World Bank is a bank for the rich not for the poor. But it is the poor who are being hurt by climate change.”

The UK is pushing for rich countries to provide $10 billion for tackling climate change in developing countries in the next few years. Despite being hundreds of billions short of what is actually needed over coming decades, this is being used as a sweetener/bribe to reach agreements here in Denmark.

The World Bank will become the de facto climate change fund because that is where the UK is putting the money. The UK’s supposed contribution of £800 million to the $10 billion has already been spent; all of it has been given to the World Bank.

At an off-the-record meeting with the UK delegation I meet another friend from walking, Mohamed from Kenya who now works in the East African country for Christian Aid.

After the meeting Mohamed says to me “This short-term finance money is just a bribe. The UK wants the World Bank to have the money so the UK can keep control of the money.”

Mohamed is adamant any money for tackling climate change is not the UK’s; it is compensation, “it rightfully belongs to us”.

I am apprehensive at what might be agreed when the politicians turn-up next week. But I am hopeful because of the passion and commitment of the campaigners who are already here.