06 November 2025
New book sheds light on growing corporate influence in conservation efforts
The growing influence of corporate interests in efforts to combat climate change globally are explored in a new book authored by a King’s academic.
In Climate Aid with Side Effects, Dr. Claudia Horn charts the rise of financial objectives in climate policy and examines how private-sector influence in conservation endangers the participation of marginalised populations and the sustainability of ecosystems.
While climate finance is an essential instrument for ecological transformation and justice, Dr. Horn examines whether the billions in climate aid for developing countries perpetuate new inequalities and exploit nature under the guise of being green.
Using Brazil as an example, Dr. Horn, from the Department of European and International Studies, demonstrates how international government funds for Amazon conservation — from countries such as Germany, Norway, and the United Kingdom — support important environmental initiatives.
However, drawing on several years of research based in Pará, Brazil, she demonstrates that international donor projects also contribute to the normalization of commodity extraction and agribusiness, which drive deforestation and displace traditional communities and practices.
Climate Aid with Side Effects: Cooperation and Conflict in the Name of Protecting the Amazon, published by OEKOM in German, is available for purchase here. The original English-language book that the German version is based on is currently under review for publication with a US academic publisher in 2026.
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Lecturer in International Political Economy Education