Ridiculous decarbonization

The absurd spectacle of a tiny country’s climate plan at the World Bank

The World Bank-IMF biannual circus is mostly theater. It’s billed as a time for shareholders to discuss the future of these two (vital, IMO) organizations, while country delegations make their sales pitches. Because everyone knows it’s mostly for show, it’s hard to get too worked up over any new announcement or some random side event. But, occasionally, something happens that reveals a worrying trend.

Climate policy run amok

Here’s a photo from the meetings that embodies everything wrong about climate policy toward the poorest countries. It’s from a briefing by two cabinet ministers from São Tomé & Príncipe to all the major development funders on the country’s decarbonization plan. 

Source: LinkedIn

Yes, you read that right. The plan is for decarbonization. 

And, yes, that’s 40 or so highly-paid professionals crammed into a room talking about how to cut carbon emissions for:

• A tiny archipelago of 237,000 people.

• A very poor country where average annual income is $2,600 and nearly half the population is living below $3.65/day.

• An ultra-low emissions nation with CO2 of just 0.6 tonnes per capita.

I’ve written before about Misplaced Virtue Signaling and the damage of celebrating carbon cuts in very poor low-emitting countries. I’ll take this one step further:

Extremely poor low-emitting countries like São Tomé & Príncipe do not need decarbonization plans. They need growth plans.

That these busy public officials, with many deep development needs back home, bothered to fly all the way to Washington and waste precious time & effort creating a decarbonization plan for foreigners is tragic. That all the wealthy donor agencies seem to think this is all fine & normal is, frankly, obscene. 

Even if you think it’s probably good for all countries to have a decarb plan, this seems unnecessary because São Tomé & Príncipe’s carbon footprint is equivalent to… about 9,500 Americans. That is, the entire country’s climate impact is about the same as 

• The new freshman class at Penn State

• Total membership of the Audubon Society of Vermont

• Attendees at the recent Barry Manilow concert in Des Moines, Iowa

Carbon emissions are of course a serious problem, so we should dedicate our attention and resources on the actual emitters. Poor countries that have played no part in causing the problem — and those like São Tomé & Príncipe who have no rational prospect of becoming meaningful emitters — should be focused elsewhere. Maybe on ending poverty, providing health care, creating jobs, and reaching all their other national goals.

Poor low-emitters need growth. Not climate theater.