Climate Governance Integrity

 4 Habits that Contribute to Climate Change! Recycle Reduce Reuse (Getty) Written by: Erica Kang (high school intern, June/July 2021) The author emphasizes that everyone is responsible and has the capacity to reduce the impacts of climate change. Aside from establishing and implementing efficient policies and stopping corruption in climate actions, as individuals, we can contribute our fair share by being responsible citizens of this Earth. Erica defines four of such responsible actions below. Using phones, computers, tablets Anything requiring electricity can contribute to climate change. In fact, the World Economic Forum states that electronic devices that we use can produce 3.5% of global emissions within the next 10 years. The manufacturing process of the phones itself causes CO2 emissions. As more and more people use phones, servers are required to store energy from billions of devices. A Swedish researcher named Anders suggests that 1,200 to 3,000 terawatt-hours will be used...

 Gender, Environment, and Corruption Gender, Environment, and Corruption (image: Getty) Written by : Clare Sohn (high school student intern, June/July 2021) Gender Inequality In our world nowadays, gender inequality is a prime issue regarding the social process by which men and women are not treated equally. This can be in means such as but not limited to distinctions created by cultural norms, the prevalence in the society, and more. However, it creates a major divide in the 21st century as these distinctions are empirically grounded while others appear to be socially constructed.  In everyday life, gender discrimination is present through multiple matters whether it be lack of mobility, professional lifestyles, citizenship, and an abundance more.[1] According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), in the workplace specifically, the top issues fueling gender inequality consist of unequal pay, or not even being hired in the first place.  But why is gender inequali...

 Coal Plants and Corruption Coal and Corruption (image: Getty) Written by Sean Kang (high school intern, June/July 2021) According to a study conducted by Wood Mackenzie, an established consultancy group that supplies data about chemicals, global energy, and renewables, states that coal plants will “...continue to be the dominant fuel source in power generation in Southeast Asia, [and] its use will grow and peak in 2027 before slowing” (Tan). Today, coal plants still appear to be a prevalent source of energy in countries concentrated in the South-East Asia region and continue to pose grave threats to its surrounding environment: acid rain, global warming, water pollution, air pollution, and etc. However, although such harmful implications of the coal plant industry seem apparent to the public and environmentalists, one greatly overlooked aspect is the corruption that surrounds the construction of these coal plants. In this context, corruption, according to Transparency Internation...

 Green Climate Fund 29th Board Meeting Notes Virtual meeting (Getty image) June 28 - DAY 1 GCF Co-chairs (Jose de Luna Martinez [Mexico] and Jean-Christophe Donnellier [France]) welcomed all the virtual participants and followed by the adoption of the Agenda and Organization of Work. Paul Oquist, GCF Board co-chair in 2018, who recently passed away, was remembered through a minute of silence. An objection was raised requesting the co-chairs to distribute a list of documents to be circulated outside the 21-day notice. A report of the 28th Board Meeting was adopted without any comment from the BMs. Documents approved by the Board in between B28 and B29 Board meetings: 1. Accreditation of Observer Organizations (April 12 2021) 2. Evaluation Policy for the GCF 3. Revised Policy on the Prevention and Protection from Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment (SEAH) 4. Administrative remedies and Exclusion policy 5. Appointment of member of the Independent Technical Advisory Panel (ITAP) ...

 Gender, Women, Covid-19, and Corruption Source : Getty/picmonkey Written by Erica Kang (high school intern, June/July 2021) Corruption affects all people, no matter their gender, age, or where they live. However, studies prove that women are more affected by corruption than men.  Why so?  Like how UNODC points out, most women are the caretakers of families, so they are more exposed to public services like healthcare and education. For example, women’s pregnancies and their role in taking care of their children give them more exposure to the health system, in which they have a high chance of being extorted.  Additionally, when women are bribed in public services, they will feel more obligated to give in, since more women than men are poor. A higher percentage of people in poverty of all ages were women, according to the 2019 Poverty Rate in the U.S.  Being in a vulnerable state of getting bribed, they can be victims of extortion in exchange for employment, oper...