Baku (Azerbaijan), 11 November 2024 - Addressing corruption and action by law enforcement and financial intelligence units are crucial to mitigating climate change, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) highlighted at the 29th session of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) (COP 29).
Crimes that affect the environment, including illegal deforestation, marine pollution, wildlife trafficking, and crimes in the fisheries, waste and minerals sectors all accelerate ecosystem degradation.
These illicit activities weaken natural ecosystems’ capacity to adapt to or mitigate climate change, driving biodiversity loss and releasing carbon dioxide and other harmful gases into the atmosphere.
In order to tackle these threats, it is imperative that countries incorporate responses to crimes that affect the environment and prevent corruption in the new round of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), which outline plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to achieve the global goal of limiting temperature rise to 1.5C and support climate adaptation.
A new UNODC paper offers practical guidance to Parties on incorporating justice responses into national climate strategies. It covers key actions such as strengthening legal and institutional frameworks, enhancing monitoring, enforcement and penalties, and fostering community engagement and empowerment to drive meaningful climate action.
Corruption can often enable crimes and limit efforts to combat climate change, as highlighted in a joint paper by UNODC and the World Bank. Corrupt officials can manipulate the design and implementation of key climate action policies to benefit private actors, for example. Or a corrupt actor could inflate costs of a climate project.
To achieve the NDCs – and to build public trust in climate action programmes – robust oversight and anti-corruption frameworks will be crucial.
There are opportunities to strengthen existing anti-corruption and accountability efforts and introduce new controls. Anti-corruption considerations need to be integrated into climate response planning and legislation. Similarly, climate change adaptation and mitigation measures should be incorporated into national anti-corruption strategies.
Financial intelligence is a valuable but often underused tool in the fight against climate change and corruption. It ensures that funds designated for climate initiatives are used effectively, maximizing their impact on mitigation and adaptation efforts.
Financial intelligence also enables law enforcement to trace financial flows from illegal activities like logging, mining and wildlife trafficking, all of which intensify climate challenges. By disrupting these illicit financial networks, authorities can reduce the profitability of environmental crimes, strengthening deterrence.
Any efforts to address crimes that affect the environment and climate change require law enforcement that is sensitized and empowered to take on climate threats. These authorities are on the frontlines of enforcing regulations that can prevent crimes that affect the environment. Investigations and criminal penalties for violating environmental regulations can help deter practices that contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and ecosystem degradation.
The Abu Dhabi Call for Action on Supporting and Enhancing the Role of Law Enforcement Agencies in the Fight against Crimes that Affect the Environment, endorsed at COP28, reaffirms the need to support and equip law enforcement agencies with the skills, tools and resources to upscale their capacities and preparedness to respond to crimes that affect the environment and to climate-related disasters.
On 13 November, an event at COP29 will explore how anti-corruption tools can help safeguard climate funds and attract necessary private investment, enabling more effective climate action.
On 16 November 2024, an event will focus on how financial intelligence can support global efforts in tackling anthropogenic climate change. Discussion will also focus on how cooperation and collaboration between various anti-money laundering (AML) stakeholders in the public and private sectors can contribute to these efforts and disrupt the financial incentives behind environmental crimes.
A high-level event on 15 November 2024 on “Mobilizing Law Enforcement for Enhanced Climate Action” during COP29 is designed to culminate in states announcing national commitments to enhance law enforcement’s role in climate action. Utilizing the Troika mechanism, the event will integrate with the Baku-to-Belem (B2B) initiative to advance towards COP30, fostering synergies to enhance the role of law enforcement in climate action and implementation throughout the decade.
The high-level event is organized by the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Republic of Azerbaijan and UNODC, co-chaired by the Ministry of Interior of the United Arab Emirates
Learn more about UNODC’s involvement at COP29 here.
