New report reveals the environmental cost of USAID’s destruction
Nearly two years after U.S. President Trump’s decision to dismantle international development agency USAID removed nearly $1 billion from global conservation and environment funding, the agency’s absence is being felt across the world, new analysis says. The abrupt termination of around 5,200 contracts in early 2025 ended support for activities as varied as plastic waste […]
The abrupt closure of USAID two years ago has caused significant repercussions for global conservation and environmental efforts, according to a new 166-page report. The agency's termination led to the loss of nearly $1 billion in funding for projects worldwide, impacting a wide range of initiatives. These included beach clean-up operations in East Africa, wildlife ranger patrols in Vietnam, and crop substitution programs for coca farmers in the Amazon.
Without USAID's financial backing, numerous long-standing projects aimed at preserving landscapes and shaping environmental policies have either faltered or failed, according to the report's authors.
Monica Bansal, co-author and former director of USAID's Center for Energy, Infrastructure, and Cities, emphasized the negative consequences of the agency's absence. She stated that the situation has resulted in a fragmented and less-coordinated approach to addressing global environmental challenges. Communities and individuals, she added, are being left behind due to this lack of coordinated action.
The comprehensive report, produced by consultancy firm One Earth Partners, surveyed data and interviewed 150 individuals involved in USAID's work in Bangladesh, Peru, Kenya, Colombia, and Vietnam. In the 2024 fiscal year, USAID allocated $365.75 million to biodiversity conservation, $256.5 million to climate adaptation, $247 million to clean energy, and an additional $232.25 million to natural climate solutions, ocean plastics, and pollution.
Morris Wamah, director of the Liberian Initiative for Development Services, was among those interviewed for the report.
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