Corruption Perception Index 2024

​Corruption & the Climate Crisis (Part 3)

​4. THREATS TO ACTIVISTS 
Corruption makes it harder for people to speak out against climate change. Land and environmental defenders – who are frequently at the forefront of the fight against the climate crisis – are particularly exposed to violence, intimidation and even murder in countries where corruption levels are high. In the last five years, more than 1,000 environmental defenders have been killed, almost all of them in countries with CPI scores below 50. 

In short, we cannot solve the climate crisis unless we step up the fight against corruption – and increasingly frequent and severe environmental degradation, natural disasters and climate-related instability show we must act now. 

“This year’s analysis showed again how fossil fuel corruption undermines climate efforts, including in the United States. Around the world, communities are demanding climate action from their governments. But the people’s voices are time and again countered by the corrupting power of the oil and gas companies profiting from environmental devastation, who use their billions to attempt to silence critics and activists, to buy power, and to dismantle the protections that safeguard our families and our planet. Greenpeace organisations and our allies are facing such a threat from pipeline giant Energy Transfer, which is trying to wipe us off the map in the US with a massive, specious lawsuit. It’s up to all of us who care about the future to stand up to these corporate bullies, no matter the cost.” Mads Christensen, Executive Director Greenpeace International.

LIBYA (13) faces acute vulnerabilities to climate change, including extreme heat, dwindling rainfall, rising sea levels and prolonged droughts. These challenges are compounded by widespread corruption and the absence of a cohesive adaptation strategy, deepening the country’s instability. In 2023, Storm Daniel caused catastrophic flooding, killing over 11,000 people, according to Libyan authorities. The disaster, which swept away entire neighbourhoods, was partly attributed to poorly maintained infrastructure, including two dams that collapsed due to corruption and neglect. 
 
VIETNAM (40) illustrates how systemic corruption, extending from lower level to high-ranking public officials, drives environmental destruction and forest degradation. Bribes and kickbacks to senior Vietnamese officials, alongside customs and border personnel, have facilitated the smuggling of illegally harvested Cambodian timber into Vietnam and laundering of it into the legal market. 
 
Transparency International. Berlin, Germany.