FUNDING OUR FUTURE

The report outlines a framework for 'rights-based climate finance,' emphasizing that funding from developed to developing countries must be ambitious in volume, equitable in distribution, and provided as grants to avoid increasing debt. It advocates for the categorical exclusion of 'false solutions' like large-scale hydropower and geoengineering, while demanding robust social and environmental safeguards, including free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) for Indigenous Peoples and independent grievance redress mechanisms to ensure accountability.

• To be compatible with human rights, climate finance must meet five criteria: it must be ambitious in volume, equitable in distribution to the most vulnerable, fair in terms of not increasing recipient debt, effective by funding proven strategies, and rights-based in its implementation.
• Developed countries have failed to meet their financial commitments; while the OECD reported $78.9 billion mobilized in 2018, other estimates suggest adaptation finance is significantly lower than reported, and total needs are estimated in the trillions of dollars.
• Climate finance should be provided as grants rather than loans to avoid exacerbating the sovereign debt burdens of low-income countries and Small Island Developing States (SIDS), which are often unfairly classified as middle-income.
• The report proposes a non-exhaustive exclusion list of projects that should be ineligible for climate finance because they prolong fossil fuel reliance or pose unacceptable risks, including large-scale hydropower, monocrop plantations, GMOs, and biofuels.
• Geoengineering technologies, such as carbon capture and storage (CCS) and solar radiation management (SRM), should be excluded as they are unproven at scale, may prolong fossil fuel use, and pose risks to food and water security.
• A rights-based approach to implementation requires mandatory prior environmental and social impact assessments (ESIA) and human rights impact assessments (HRIA) before any project is approved.
• Climate finance must respect the rights of Indigenous Peoples, specifically requiring their free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) and the protection of their traditional knowledge.
• Effective climate finance requires gender-responsive design, including the use of gender-disaggregated data and the creation of gender action plans to ensure women and girls have equal opportunities to lead and benefit from projects.
• To ensure accountability, climate finance institutions must establish independent grievance redress mechanisms that are accessible, transparent, and protect complainants from retaliation.
• There is a critical need for a zero-tolerance policy regarding retaliation against environmental and human rights defenders, who face increasing violence and criminalization.

APA

Lennon, E. (2021). FUNDING OUR FUTURE. Center for International Environmental Law. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/FundingOurFuture_5PillarsForRightsBasedClimateFinance_CIEL_mar2021.pdf

Chicago

Lennon, Erika. FUNDING OUR FUTURE. Center for International Environmental Law, 2021. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/FundingOurFuture_5PillarsForRightsBasedClimateFinance_CIEL_mar2021.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Lennon |first1=Erika |title=FUNDING OUR FUTURE |publisher=Center for International Environmental Law |date=2021 |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/FundingOurFuture_5PillarsForRightsBasedClimateFinance_CIEL_mar2021.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{lennon2021funding, author = {Lennon, Erika}, title = {{FUNDING OUR FUTURE}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2021}, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/FundingOurFuture_5PillarsForRightsBasedClimateFinance_CIEL_mar2021.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }