I started working in climate philanthropy over a decade ago. At the time, less than two percent of all philanthropic contributions went towards climate change. For the climate community, the disappointing summit of Copenhagen in 2009 was a huge blow, its effect lasting many years. ‘Climate’ and ‘green’ became taboo terms, as calls by environmental NGOs to curb greenhouse gas emissions were dismissed as unrealistic. World leaders were dealing then with the financial crisis and skyrocketing unemployment.

The picture could not be more different today: climate change is top of mind for a majority of people. European citizens now view climate change as the single most serious problem facing the world, even in times of a global pandemic. A daunting 75 percent of young people think the future is ‘terrifying’. One statistic remains the same though: the proportion of philanthropic resources directed to climate action. Still a mere two percent…

Yet, climate philanthropy has made a difference in a decade. We have contributed to eliminating half of all existing coal-fired power plants in Europe, given average citizens a say, helped uncover the automotive sector’s dirty business tricks, and got the EU to commit to climate neutrality by 2050… Imagine what we could do with more!

I want to be hopeful that the funding pledges made at COP26 open the door to many more philanthropists stepping up to the challenge. Let me welcome them by sharing my 10 lessons learned from more than a decade in climate philanthropy.

  1. It's not really all about the money
  2. Crisis is the new normal
  3. Filling forms is not the best use of our partners’ time
  4. Wanted: European donors
  5. There is no killer karate move
  6. We have already invented the wheel
  7. It’s not planet vs people
  8. Let’s look at ourselves in the mirror
  9. It may keep you awake at night
  10. It’s not over

Read the full article about climate philanthropy by Elsa Özmen at Alliance Magazine.