GiveDirectly’s method of impact is simple: they send money to people living in poverty. In fact, they are the “leading global NGO specialized in delivering digital cash transfers” [1]. They are built on the belief that “people living in poverty deserve the dignity to choose for themselves how best to improve their lives — cash enables that choice” [2] – a fact which is backed by ample data [3,4].
When talking about anything related to climate change it’s very, very important to consider the impact that these changes (think extreme heat, droughts, famine, increasingly unpredictable and extreme storms) will have on people living in poverty because they will inevitably bear the brunt of the negative impacts [5].
It’s also important to point out that the biggest contributors to climate change are in the Global North (e.g. USA, EU/UK) – to the tune of 92% of excess emissions [6]. Disparities between “responsibilities for emissions and concentrations and vulnerabilities to the effects brought on by climate change” [7] continue to play a critical role in the North-South debate over how best to respond to increasing environmental pressures.
Redistributing cash is a direct and fair way of ensuring that those who are likely to suffer the most from climate change are able to decide what they need. In support of this, GiveDirectly has sent over 300 million dollars to people in need. And have been remarkably transparent along the way [8].
