July 6, 2023
2 mins read

UK govt refutes claims it is dropping $14.76 bn climate pledge

Goldsmith said Britain had “visibly stepped off the world stage and withdrawn our leadership on climate and nature.”…reports Asian Lite News

The government said on Tuesday that claims it was dropping its International Climate Finance pledge are false, after the Guardian reported the country was planning to drop its flagship 11.6 billion pound ($14.76 billion) climate funding pledge.

“The Government remains committed to spending 11.6 billion pounds on international climate finance and we are delivering on that pledge,” a spokesperson from the Britain government said.

A document given to the British Foreign Office, which was seen by the Guardian, said “Our commitment to double our international climate finance to 11.6 billion pounds was made in 2019, when we were still at 0.7 [% of GDP spent on international aid] and pre-COVID.”

Government officials calculated it would have to spend 83% of the total aid budget on the international climate fund to meet the 11.6 billion pound target by 2026. Civil servants wrote that this would “squeeze out room for other commitments such as humanitarian and women and girls,” the Guardian report added.

“We spent over 1.4 billion pounds on international climate finance over the course of the 2021/22 financial year, supporting developing countries to reduce poverty and respond to the causes and impacts of climate change. We will publish the latest annual figures in due course,” the British government spokesperson further said.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s climate policies have come under critique after British international environment minister Zac Goldsmith resigned last week, saying that Sunak was “uninterested” in environmental issues.

Goldsmith said Britain had “visibly stepped off the world stage and withdrawn our leadership on climate and nature.”

Britain’s climate advisers on the Climate Change Committee (CCC) also said last week that the nation has lost its position as a global leader on climate action and was not doing enough to meet its mid-century net zero target.

The CCC found that Britain had fallen behind in areas including improving energy efficiency in buildings, rolling out heat pumps, curbing emissions from industry and increasing the rate of tree planting, which must double by 2025.

Britain’s Met Office, its national weather service, said yesterday that last month was the hottest June on record in the country, warning that human-induced climate change was making such temperature records increasingly likely.

ALSO READ-‘British firms are leveraging India’s tech expertise’

Previous Story

S.Korea takes on rising drone threats

Next Story

BSF attends SCO heads of border authorities meeting

Latest from -Top News

Islamists Rise Under Yunus Rule

After the departure of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024, Islamic parties in Bangladesh, crushed for years by the Awami League government, have made inroads into the political arena…writes Baidya

TIES WITH CHINA: Is Bangladesh Going Lanka Way?

Plans for nine Special Economic Zones, including Chinese-developed sites in Chattogram and Chandpur, promise jobs but risk creating enclaves where Beijing’s economic priorities overshadow Bangladesh’s….reports Asian Lite News On a humid March

Khaleda Zia’s Son Return Looms as Yunus Faces Heat

The core question remains whether Rahman can provide leadership in politically turbulent times in Bangladesh….reports Asian Lite News Speculation is mounting in Bangladesh over the possible return of Tarique Rahman, son of

India Eyes Top 5 Spot in Global Entertainment

With focused investments, policy support, and infrastructural upgrades, India is on track to position itself as one of the top five live entertainment destinations globally by 2030…reports Asian Lite News Fueled by
Go toTop

Don't Miss

India, UK to step up customs cooperation

The Union cabinet has given nod for the agreement that

India, UK agree to step up security cooperation

During the meeting, India impressed upon the UK authorities the