The people of the global south waited with eager expectation and hope that their climate efforts would get a massive boost when the climate finance promised by rich countries finally materialized. Recently, wealthy nations announced they had crossed the long-promised annual contribution of $100 billion in 2024. But as the ongoing COP31 international climate conference unfolds in Turkey, we must ask a uncomfortable question: Can we truly say that the cause of climate justice has been well served?
The answer is a resounding ‘no.’ This failure is not just about the amount of money, but the deeply unjust terms on which it is provided. Furthermore, as delegates gather in Turkey, they risk ignoring crucial, interconnected existential threats while overlooking highly effective, grassroots solutions. If COP31 is to be more than a disappointing exercise in empty commitments, it must address the mockery of climate finance, confront our systemic blind spots, and champion self-reliant ecological practices.
The Debt Trap of "Climate Justice"
The current architecture of climate finance is trapping vulnerable nations in a cycle of debt. There are far fewer grants and concessional loans, replaced instead by standard interest-rate loans. In a report published in October 2025, Oxfam and CARE revealed a staggering reality: for every five dollars given as climate finance, seven may have to be returned, leading to a reverse financial flow from the poor to the rich.
Nafkote Dabi, Oxfam’s Climate Policy Lead, rightly called this out: “They are lending money to the very people they have historically harmed, trapping vulnerable nations in a cycle of debt. This is a form of crisis profiteering.” John Norbo, Senior Climate Adviser at CARE Denmark, added a grim caveat: “Many wealthy countries are gutting aid, leaving the poorest to pay the price, sometimes with their lives.”
This trend is evident in World Bank projects, where a significant portion of adaptation loans are offered on non-concessional terms at standard market rates. This is profoundly harmful because climate adaptation finance is generally not for income-earning projects. Unlike infrastructure that generates revenue, adaptation measures—like building flood defenses or drought-resistant systems—do not generate the cash flow needed to pay back principal and interest. Insisting on loans instead of grants worsens the debt traps of developing countries.
Where is the justice in this? Compared to the estimated needs of developing countries for climate adaptation—amounting to over $300 billion by 2035 (and over $400 billion adjusted for inflation)—only about $30 billion is currently available. Even if the often-discussed tripling of these funds is achieved, it will still fall short of a third of the need. Much is made of the $100 billion target being crossed, but this ignores how inflation has eroded its real value, how needs have skyrocketed, and how "justice-based" funding has been turned into profit-earning transactions.
The Blind Spots of COP31
Beyond the financial mockery, COP31 must not ignore five crucial issues that are vital to our survival but frequently underemphasized:
1. The Climate Cost of War: The increasing arms race and war preparations massively worsen climate change. Weapons manufacturing, transport, and storage drive up greenhouse gas emissions, while war destroys the very climate adaptation capacity of communities. Precious resources are diverted from mitigation to military might. The annual military expenditure of the USA alone is over 10 times higher than the annual climate finance provided by all rich countries combined. COP31 must give an important place to peace objectives.
2. The False Promise of Hazardous Energy: While reducing fossil fuels is integral, we must be cautious about the energy-mix promoted as a replacement. Placing too much importance on nuclear power plants and large dams carries severe environmental and safety consequences. Environmentalists once warned against the harmful impacts of these mega-projects, but the climate debate has sometimes been hijacked to promote them as "green" solutions. This must be reconsidered, especially given the non-civilian proliferation risks of nuclear power.
3. Voluntary Reduction in Consumption: We cannot technology or engineer our way out of this crisis without addressing relentless consumption. Placing voluntary restraint on the pursuit of luxury goods and lavish lifestyles must be a core part of the climate agenda. Without this, we will continue to rely on harmful, large-scale energy options to feed an insatiable global appetite.
4. Interconnected Existential Crises: While climate change is a paramount environmental problem, it must not be examined in isolation. Humanity faces a dozen or so serious, life-threatening environmental limits. Furthermore, these life-nurturing conditions are threatened even more rapidly by weapons of mass destruction. Climate change is an integral part of a broader survival crisis, not a stand-alone issue.
5. Meaningful Justice: Past COPs have shown a disappointing gap between talk and action. Discussions on climate justice must translate into meaningful, tangible forward movement. Justice must actually mean justice.
A Grassroots Solution: Self-Reliant Natural Farming
If top-down finance and mega-projects are failing the global south, where do we look for resilience? One solution that demands high attention at COP31 is natural farming-based, self-reliant farming systems. Customarily, mitigation and adaptation are planned separately, but natural farming achieves both simultaneously.
Natural farming involves cultivating non-GM crops without chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides. Instead, it relies on organic, locally available materials and human skill to build soil fertility and manage pests. This inherently self-reliant system drastically reduces fossil fuel use associated with agro-chemicals and heavy machinery, conserves water, and promotes crop diversity and agroforestry.
Crucially, natural farming is an economic lifeline. By avoiding expensive external inputs, small and medium farmers significantly reduce their cash costs, diminishing the risk of debt, non-viability, and forced land sales. Conversations with farmers practicing natural farming reveal that while yields are maintained or increased, the superior health quality of the produce often fetches a higher price, increasing net income. Furthermore, crop diversity—including fruits and vegetables—improves family health, reduces expenses, and provides a steady flow of income. In adverse weather conditions, this diversity ensures that if one crop fails, others survive, preventing catastrophic losses.
Over time, carefully managed natural farming restores the land. Earthworms and friendly insects return, maintaining natural fertility and pollination without the escalating costs of chemical dependencies. Self-reliant farming systems make farmers more creative and innovative, drastically improving their adaptive resilience.
The Path Forward
Promoting climate mitigation and adaptation through natural farming strengthens the sustainable livelihoods of farmers, particularly smallholders who are the most vulnerable to climate shocks. If climate justice finance can be reformed to provide encouragement and funds directly to these farmers—rather than trapping nations in debt for mega-projects—we can spread natural farming rapidly and equitably.
COP31 in Turkey stands at a crossroads. We can continue down the path of crisis profiteering, dangerous energy illusions, and ignored existential threats like war and overconsumption. Or, we can choose a path of genuine climate justice: reforming finance into true grants, embracing peace, curbing destructive consumption, and empowering the self-reliant, natural farming systems that hold the key to our collective survival.
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The writer is Honorary Convener, Campaign to Save Earth Now. His recent books include Protecting Earth for Children, Planet in Peril, Man over Machine, A Day in 2071, and India’s Quest for Sustainable Farming and Healthy Food. His website is bharatdogra.in and his YouTube channel is Bharat Dogra | Save Earth Campaign
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