For Immediate Release: New ActionAid report reveals failing investment in just transition ahead of COP30,ncalls for urgent action to prevent harm Accra, Ghana

BY: Gladys Apuweni

A new ActionAid report has revealed that less than 3% (2.8%) of global climate finance is supporting “just transition” approaches that prioritise workers, women, and communities when tackling the climate crisis. The organisation warns
that this alarmingly low figure shows how frontline communities facing the brunt of climate impacts are being left behind, leading to deepening inequalities and harmful practices. As global leaders prepare to gather in Belém, Brazil for COP30, ActionAid is urging
governments and financiers to act decisively to coordinate and fund just transition efforts worldwide ensuring that no one is left behind in the move toward a greener, fairer, and more sustainable future. Released today, the report titled “Climate Finance for a Just Transition: How the Finance Flows” analysed data from two major global climate funds — the Green Climate Fund and the Climate Investment Funds revealing that only one in every 50 projects (1.96%) meaningfully supports people through a just transition. This translates to just one dollar in
every 35 of climate finance going toward helping communities and workers transition fairly from polluting industries to greener livelihoods.
ActionAid stresses that transitioning away from fossil fuels and industrial agriculture toward renewable energy and agroecology must be done in ways that protect jobs, uphold rights, and make food and energy affordable for all. Just transition approaches involve
supporting and retraining workers, engaging local communities in planning, and creating resilient, inclusive green economies.
Arthur Larok, Secretary General of ActionAid International, said: “The world urgently needs action to prevent climate breakdown, but it should be the polluters, not the workers and communities, who pay the price. “Our new report shows just transition approaches are jaw-droppingly underfunded, and people’s needs are at the bottom of the priority list. Something’s got to give. If just transition
continues to be overlooked, then there’s a real risk that inequalities will deepen.” Teresa Anderson, report author and Global Lead on Climate Justice said: “No-oneshould have to choose between a secure job and a safe planet. Just transition approaches make sure that climate action prioritises people’s daily needs and doesn’t accidentally push people deeper into poverty. Without just transition approaches, climate action risks unintended harm, backlash, and ever-more delay.”
Ghana’s context: Climate impacts and the urgent call for fairness In Ghana, where agriculture and extractive industries remain key economic drivers, inadequate investment in inclusive green transitions risks widening inequality. Farmers, women, and young people especially in the Northern, Upper East, Upper West, and parts of the Ashanti regions are already facing prolonged droughts, crop failures, and food insecurity
linked to climate change and destructive practices such as illegal mining (galamsey). These communities are bearing the brunt of the climate crisis without adequate access to climate finance or adaptive support. Without a deliberate focus on a just transition, Ghana’s
progress toward sustainability could come at the cost of livelihoods and equity. John Nkaw, Country Director of ActionAid Ghana, emphasised:
“This report exposes a critical gap in climate finance that directly affects communities in Ghana. Farmers, women, and young people are bearing the brunt of climate impacts without the support needed to transition sustainably.
A just transition for Ghana means investing in renewable energy, agroecology, and green jobs that protect people’s rights and livelihoods. It is time for government, investors, and all key stakeholders to ensure that climate finance goes beyond figures to deliver fairness, justice,
secure livelihoods, and a sustainable future for our people.” Global South realities and the Amazon connection The report highlights real stories of harm in Global South communities, including those in Brazil’s Amazon region, where deforestation and industrial agriculture continue to threaten livelihoods. Communities like those near Timbiras in Maranhão face intimidation and pesticide exposure as they resist being displaced for large-scale agriculture — underscoring the human cost of climate inaction and profit-driven practices.  Jessica Siviero, Climate Justice Specialist at ActionAid Brazil adds: “The Amazon forest acts as the lungs of planet earth, while the Cerrado serves as its veins, carrying life and
connecting vital ecosystems. COP30 coming to Belém puts the spotlight on industrial agriculture’s role in driving Amazon and Cerrado destruction. It’s time for the world to move away from harmful industrial agriculture, and towards agroecological approaches that feed
people and cool the planet. Just transition approaches need to be applied to agriculture as well.” With one week to go until COP30 begins in Belém, Brazil, ActionAid is calling for a commitment to coordinate just transition globally. Specifically, along with allies, it’s demanding a “Belém Action Mechanism” on just transition to be set up to ensure coordination, shared learning and to support implementation.
“This is a critical opportunity for global climate action to evolve for the better. COP30 needs to deliver on a global plan for just transition to support and reassure those on the frontlines, and to unleash the action our planet so urgently needs,” adds Anderson.

ENDS
For media inquiries:
ActionAid Ghana Press Office
Jacqueline.Parditey@actionaid.org | 053 102 4733
Spokespersons available:
• Teresa Anderson, Global Lead on Climate Justice, ActionAid International
• John Nkaw, Country Director, ActionAid Ghana
About ActionAid

ActionAid is a global federation working for a world free from poverty and injustice. We
envision a just, fair, and sustainable world in which everyone enjoys the right to live in
dignity and freedom. In Ghana, ActionAid works in partnership with communities to
advance social justice, promote women’s rights, and champion climate justice through
resilient livelihoods and active citizenship