Aid Agencies Pour Billions Into Climate And Social Issues As Global Poverty Goes Ignored
Development banks should fund what works for the poor, not climate ideology.
by Bjorn Lomborg April 22, 2026, 9:31 AM
Last week in Washington, more than 10,000 delegates, finance ministers, and central bankers gathered for the World Bank and IMF spring meetings. Their stated goal: accelerate global development, drive economic growth, and lift billions out of poverty. [some emphasis, links added]
That mission remains vital. But too many development institutions have lost sight of what the world’s poorest people actually need.
Flush with funding from taxpayers in wealthy nations, they increasingly prioritize elite Western concerns — gender, social issues, and climate change — over the basics that matter most: better education, healthcare, and reliable energy.
Nowhere is this disconnect clearer than in their growing climate fixation. The World Bank proudly reports that in its latest fiscal year, 48% of its funding went to so-called “climate finance”, up from 44% the year before and exceeding its own 45% target.
To its credit, it emphasises that these projects can often do more than deliver climate benefits, but that still means more than $39bn redirected toward climate-themed projects.
https://climatechangedispatch.com/global-aid-climate-vs-poverty-priorities/
