Environment and development go hand-in-hand in the continuing battle to combat global poverty, according to Erik Solheim, Norway's "double-hatted" minister of environment and international development. Minister Solheim was debating the issue of climate finance and the search for a low-carbon growth path for developed and developing countries alike in a Friends of Europe Café Crossfire which took place on 14 March.

With EU member states facing tough austerity measures at home and "aid fatigue" threatening public support for overseas development assistance, the discussion centered on where the funds to help developing countries become climate-resilient can be found. Given the complex architecture behind climate financing and the move towards low carbon development, the debate ranged from the importance of meeting existing financing commitments to innovative sources of funding, transparency, combating illicit money flows and leveraging private sector investment in a market economy.

Questions were also raised on how to bridge the divde between the environment and development communities. "There are two tribes: one global development tribe and one global environment tribe. Very rarely do they meet," said Minister Solheim. Jos Delbeke, Director-General of the European Commission's DG Climate claimed that last week's Roadmap 2050 could be seen as a good example of how to overcome this "tribal" or silo-based policymaking.