The Norwegian Aid Agency Norad is responsible for implementing the Norwegian government’s commitment to climate aid. The agency’s slogan is that “facts shall govern” (“fakta skal ha makta”). At the same time there is disagreement over what Norwegian climate aid should look like, that is, what climate aid is and should be. Is climate aid development “as usual”, where climate concerns are integrated into the larger development project, or should climate aid be understood as something fundamentally new and different?
Concerns have been voiced that “climate change” is used as a new label to revitalize a heavily criticized development project while at the same time avoiding having to add new money streams to finance climate aid. How the Norwegian aid sector in general, and Norad in particular, understands climate change as a problem will shape what Norwegian climate aid will look like, that is, what initiatives will be funded and implemented.
It is therefore of interest to ask which “facts shall govern” when it comes to climate aid. We ask: How does actors in Norwegian aid sector understand “climate aid” and what “facts” do they refer to in order to substantiate their understanding?
