The 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) highlights the critical role corruption plays in exacerbating the climate crisis. Corruption not only undermines efforts to combat climate change but also threatens life-saving climate funds, particularly in vulnerable countries.
Key findings of the CPI 2024 Report indicate that the global average score remains stagnant at 43, with more than two-thirds of countries scoring below 50 out of 100. This indicates widespread corruption that hinders effective governance and climate action.
Billions of dollars intended for climate mitigation and adaptation are at risk due to corruption. This misappropriation can derail meaningful efforts to address the climate crisis.
Corruption facilitates undue influence by private interests, such as fossil fuel lobbyists, which can block ambitious policies needed to tackle climate change.
There is a pressing need for enhanced transparency and anti-corruption measures to safeguard these funds and ensure they reach their intended recipients effectively.
Pakistan’s CPI ranking dropped from 133 in 2023 to 135 in 2024, reflecting a decrease in its score from 29 to 27 out of 100. Despite this decline, Pakistan is noted as holding up against regional trends where many countries saw significant drops.
India ranked lower than Pakistan at position number one hundred ninety-six does not apply here; instead India ranked 96th with a score of 38, down one point from the previous year.
Corruption affects over 85% of the world’s population living in countries with CPI scores under 50. It weakens governance structures and diverts critical resources meant for addressing environmental challenges like climate change.
The lack of progress globally underscores the need for robust anti-corruption measures to support sustainable development goals.
In summary, corruption poses a significant threat not only by undermining public trust but also by jeopardizing global efforts against environmental crises like climate change. Addressing this requires concerted international action focused on transparency and accountability mechanisms.
François Valérian, Chair of Transparency International said:
“Corruption is an evolving global threat that does far more than undermine development – it is a key cause of declining democracy, instability and human rights violations. The international community and every nation must make tackling corruption a top and long-term priority. This is crucial to pushing back against authoritarianism and securing a peaceful, free and sustainable world. The dangerous trends revealed in this year’s Corruption Perceptions Index highlight the need to follow through with concrete action now to address global corruption.”
Maíra Martini, CEO of Transparency International said:
“We must urgently root out corruption before it fully derails meaningful climate action. Governments and multilateral organisations must embed anti-corruption measures into climate efforts to safeguard finance, rebuild trust and maximise impact. Today, corrupt forces not only shape but often dictate policies and dismantle checks and balances – silencing journalists, activists and anyone fighting for equality and sustainability. True climate resilience demands tackling these threats directly and decisively. Vulnerable people around the world desperately need this action.”
Mads Christensen, Executive Director Greenpeace International said:
“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.”