Has dead aid taken on a green hue?

We’ve got £800 million to spare, haven’t we?  Don’t be so cynical – of course we do.  After all, it’s the amount of UK cash that Gordon Brown is prepared to sign over to a new £10 billion climate change fund that he’s proposing.  The idea is that the money can be used to encourage poorer countries to move towards greener economies.  Brilliant.

More seriously, I’d have thought that the money would be better spent on developing those green technologies which could create jobs and clean up the environment, both home and away.  Especially as we don’t have much money to spare, and this fund contains so much potential for waste.  After all, will it make any real difference when set against the richer countries who are the main emission offenders?  And, payment by results or not, will it do anything to fundamentally change the long-term views and actions of those poorer countries which regard the climate change agenda as a hindrance to their overall