ActionAid Report Warns of Failing Investment in Just Transition Ahead of COP30
HARARE – A new report by ActionAid has revealed that less than 3% of global climate finance is being directed toward ‘just transition’ initiatives—approaches that prioritise workers, women, and communities in the shift to a greener economy.
The report, released ahead of COP30 in Brazil, warns that communities most affected by the climate crisis are being sidelined, with only 2.8% of climate funding supporting inclusive transition efforts. Even more alarming, just 1.96% of projects are actively listening to and supporting people through the transition, and only one dollar in every 35 is spent on transition programmes.
ActionAid is calling for coordinated global action to ensure that climate solutions do not deepen inequality or harm vulnerable populations. The organisation advocates for a shift away from fossil fuels and industrial agriculture toward renewables and agroecology—done in a way that protects jobs, rights, and access to affordable food and energy.
Arthur Larok, Secretary General of ActionAid International, said polluters—not workers and communities—should bear the cost of climate action. “Our new report shows that transition approaches are jaw-droppingly underfunded, and people’s needs are at the bottom of the priority list,” he said.
Teresa Anderson, the report’s author and Global Lead on Climate Justice, added: “No one should have to choose between a secure job and a safe planet. Without just transition approaches, climate action risks unintended harm, backlash, and ever-more delay.”
The report also documents cases of harm in the Global South, including pesticide attacks and land grabs in the Amazon region of Brazil, where communities reliant on babassu coconuts face pressure from industrial agriculture interests.
Jessica Siviero, Climate Justice Specialist at ActionAid Brazil, described the Amazon as the lungs of the planet and the Cerrado as its veins—warning that continued deforestation threatens vital ecosystems and community livelihoods.
