NGOs' Demands for Policy Coherence: Environment and Development

• Development projects should prepare for present and future environmental risks. Preparation for climate change is more cost-effective than repairing the damage. Climate change aspect has to be integrated in planning of the land use, preparedness for catastrophes, infrastructure plans and environmental impact assessment.

• Climate projects should be set similar criteria as there is for development aid. For example, reduction of emission projects, subordinate to the Clean Development Mechanism of the Kyoto Protocol, should truly support sustainable development. Industrial countries can acquire emission rights through these projects. However, the common problem of the mechanism is the fact that industrial countries’ interest to gain inexpensive emission rights is emphasized in the projects, not the promotion of poverty reduction and sustainable development and prevention of climate change.

• Development cooperation funding of different instances, such as the European Investment Bank, should sustainably be directed to supporting renewable energy sources and energy saving instead of fossil fuel projects.

• A new innovation system, based on cooperation and distribution, should be developed between development and industrialised countries that are interested in climate protection in order to elaborate and diffuse climate friendly technology.

• The EU must assist developing countries in joining the climate agreement, among other things, by funding actions for reduction of emission and preparedness and leading the way in reductions of emission.