One‑fifth of development aid is climate‑coded

Using the RioMarkers coding of bilateral official development assistance, the authors estimate that climate‑related projects accounted for about one‑third of bilateral project‑specific aid in 2024 (≈$50 billion) and roughly one‑fifth of total development aid when extrapolated. The piece flags important caveats: RioMarkers covers only bilateral project allocations, many projects are multi‑purpose (mitigation + adaptation + development), and a large share of bilateral aid is non‑allocable. — If donors are directing ~20% of ODA to climate, that is a material reallocation that informs debates over crowd‑out of health and poverty programs and should reshape donor prioritization and accountability conversations.