Climate finance controversy: wealthy nations like china and saudi arabia receive billions while world’s poorest countries get just 20% of funding

A groundbreaking investigation by The Guardian and Carbon Brief has exposed significant inequities in how international climate finance is being distributed, revealing that some of the world’s wealthiest nations are receiving substantial climate funding while the poorest countries are left with a fraction of available resources.

The analysis, which examined previously unreported United Nations submissions alongside data from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), found that major economic powers including China and oil-rich nations like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have been recipients of large climate finance allocations. This distribution pattern raises serious questions about the effectiveness and fairness of current climate funding mechanisms.

Perhaps most concerning is the finding that only one-fifth of global climate finance actually reaches the world’s 44 poorest countries – the very nations that are often most vulnerable to climate change impacts yet have contributed least to the problem. These countries typically lack the financial resources and infrastructure needed to adapt to rising sea levels, extreme weather events, and other climate-related challenges.

The investigation sheds light on how billions of dollars in public money designated for fighting global heating is being allocated, timing that coincides with ongoing international climate negotiations. As world leaders prepare for COP30 climate talks in Brazil, these findings are likely to intensify debates about climate justice and whether current funding mechanisms truly serve those most in need of support for climate adaptation and mitigation efforts.