Corruption Perception Index 2024

Corruption & the Climate Crisis (Part 1)

The climate crisis is one of the most pressing challenges of our time, driven by a web of interconnected factors. Among them lies a crucial but often overlooked issue: corruption, which undermines climate action by misdirecting resources, enabling harmful practices and stifling progress. The CPI shows that corruption is a global problem, affecting every country and obstructing efforts to properly confront climate change. Corruption contributes to the climate crisis in several ways. 

1. UNDUE INFLUENCE ON CLIMATE POLICIES AND DECISION-MAKING 
By undermining the development and enforcement of critical climate and environmental policies, corruption obstructs efforts to implement stringent regulations, reduce emissions and promote clean energy initiatives. 

For decades, lobbyists from powerful industries – especially fossil fuel companies and car manufacturers – have unduly influenced politicians to derail efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This policy capture, combined with decision-makers having conflicts of interest and moving through revolving doors between public- and private-sector jobs, creates significant barriers to meaningful climate governance worldwide. 

Undue influence on climate policy occurs in countries with both high and low corruption levels. However, it is in wealthy, developed countries that this interference undermines global progress the most. These nations hold the greatest responsibility to lead on ambitious climate goals, reduce emissions at scale and build resilience worldwide. When undue influence distorts their policies, it delays critical actions, weakens international cooperation and hampers the global fight against the climate crisis. 

Countries with lower corruption levels generally show better readiness to face the challenges posed by climate change. However, that is not enough – many are still not adopting the ambitious measures necessary to tackle the climate crisis, due in part to undue influence by businesses. 
 
SOUTH AFRICA (41) shows a worrying trend, dropping by three points since 2019. In 2025, the country will host the G20 Leaders’ Summit, giving it a vital opportunity to advocate for increased climate finance commitments from G20 countries that do not conflate debt repayments, private financing and loans as a substitute for direct mechanisms to mitigate the climate crisis. South Africa must strengthen oversight mechanisms to ensure that domestic corruption does not interfere with such crucial international processes, as has happened at past summits. 
 
IN THE UNITED STATES (65), a major energy company orchestrated a US$60 million bribery scheme to unduly influence public policy in its favour and slow a transition to renewable energy. The prosecutors argue that the company funnelled money to a politician – who maintains his innocence – and his associates so they would push through a billion-dollar bailout of two nuclear power plants. Reportedly, this helped the company to compete with newer, cheaper forms of energy and gain a competitive advantage. 
 
Transparency International. Berlin, Germany.