Behind the smart suits, tinted windows, and Swiss fountain pens of COP15 there are delegates from poorer countries who struggle to attend the conference and struggle to have a voice amongst the well-polished rhetoric of the E.U. and American delegations. One such country is Sierra Leone.
The state has never been able to afford to send a delegate to climate chance conferences. They are part of the Least Developed Countries (LDC) group representing the 49 poorest countries in the world. They rank 180th (out of 182) on the human development index and have a big deforestation problem. The seven delegates going to COP15 are funded by the UNDP and E.U. This funding covers the flight and a per diem allowance of $200. Doesn’t sound like much? One day is the same as a delegates’ monthly salary.
The extent to which $200 disadvantages Sierra Leonean delegates becomes apparent when you analyse the cost of ‘doing’ COP15:
Hotels in Copenhagen: $300 a night. But there is a backpackers hostel for $34.
Food: Government officials eat at the Bella Vista restaurant in the Bella Centre, which costs $100. But there is a sandwich stall... Read more
