Green Foreign Aid

As the richest country in the world, by several measures, we have a responsibility to give back. Our wealth is partially good luck – by happening to have valuable commodities under our ground – while other countries have bad luck .

Some of our current foreign aid can be redirected to countries that desperately need improvements, and those improvements help fight climate change. For example, solar power in places where no grid power exists, and burning fuels is used instead.

Not only will there be any net cost to Australia, if such aid is spent in the same countries as already happens, then it is win-win.

Why? Fixing climate change is cheaper to achieve in developing countries. All that matters is the total global effort, not where it occurs.

While Australia should still stick to their commitments to climate change agreements, we can help the planet by extra measures via this policy. A policy that might see copycat measures from other industrial countries.

OR we could increase foreign aid, and maintain existing aid. Compared to other developed nations, our giving is average. You could argue we are doing our bit – we give around the same as Canada, and much more than the USA or NZ, in terms of GDP. However, our wealth can be measure beyond GDP, as almost the only country to not recently have a recession.

When you consider that existing foreign aid all revolves around self-interest – read this summary from the government, where the recurring theme is “Is this in our national interest?”. The small amount of pure humanitarian aid appears to be part of UN commitments and similar.

It is time to consider aid that helps the whole planet, rather than protecting purely Australian interests. And hopefully other prosperous countries will follow suit.