By applying an equity and justice lens to climate change mitigation efforts, philanthropy can help drive a sustainable global recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, a report from the ClimateWorks Foundation argues.
Produced in partnership with the African Climate Foundation, Climate and Land Use Alliance, Ford Foundation, and Natural Resources Defense Council, the report, Achieving a just and sustainable economic recovery (17 pages, PDF), highlights opportunities for intersectional funding in support of efforts to build climate change resilience, advance environmental and economic equity, and improve the lives of people around the globe.
Based on case studies from Brazil, India, South Africa, and the United States, the report offers a series of recommendations for funders, including taking steps to empower diverse coalitions in frontline communities advocating for climate change solutions; maintaining the flexibility to engage in collaborations and pooled funds; promoting climate-friendly land use through public-private trust funds and real-time reporting; creating new investment models and supporting local leadership working to repurpose coal power plants; channeling funds directly to Indigenous peoples to ensure that lands are sustainably managed; expanding access to resilient, affordable, energy-efficient housing; and supporting rural infrastructure.
“While philanthropy alone cannot implement these steps at the scale required, it is an important actor alongside civil society, governments, state and local officials, the private sector, and the general public,” wrote Surabi Menon and Anthony Yazaki, two of the report’s co-authors, in a blog post. “By establishing new coalitions and partnerships that advance these goals and principles, philanthropy can play an outsized role in driving a just, equitable, and sustainable economic recovery.”
Source: PND
