Friday 24 August 2012

An Australian bureaucrat to lead the Green Climate Fund


Ewen McDonald - a smiling bureaucrat (image by Australian gov.)

The Australian bureaucrat Ewen McDonald has just been chosen to lead the Green Climate Fund, that by 2020 is supposed to begin handing out  $US100 billion (paid for by taxpayers in "rich" countries, of course) each year in order "to help poorer countries adapt to changing climate conditions and to move toward low-carbon economic growth". Dictators and authoritarians in charge of a great number of the "poor" countries can hardly wait to see the free money start rolling in ....

But the reason McDonald is smiling is that he can look forward to being amply compensated for his future role in distributing the billions. McDonald´s salary has not yet been disclosed, but it will most likely be on par with UN Under Secretary Generals, who must try to make ends meet on their paltry $240,000 tax free salary (+ a great number of perks). 

McDonald is certainly also looking forward to his new dazzling office - most likely in Bonn, Germany - with "roof top gardens" and and a "sunken terrace" restaurant:



Green Climate Fund Headquarters, Bonn (architect´s proposal)

There is no agreement about how the promised billions will be raised, and it is certain that the $US100 billion annually will remain a pipe dream. But that does not the least worry the politicians and bureaucrats behind this scheme. For them the essential thing is that a huge new international buraucracy is established, offering excellent job opportunities (for themselves and their supporters). 

1 comment:

A K Haart said...

"For them the essential thing is that a huge new international buraucracy is established"

I'm sure that's right - bureaucrats only care about the security of their own budgets - nothing else.