TORIES LIE
Leaked memo sets out ‘huge challenge’ to meet £11.6bn climate pledge
David Hughes, PA Political Editor
Wed, July 5, 2023
Rishi Sunak’s promise to meet an £11.6 billion climate and nature pledge looks set be missed, according to a leaked internal memo.
The briefing note to ministers sets out that the international funding commitment would be a “huge challenge” and require backing for other aid projects to be slashed.
The Government insisted it is delivering on the pledge and said suggestions the commitment could be dropped are “false”.
The memo, obtained by the Guardian, says the commitment to provide £11.6 billion between April 2021 and March 2026 was made at a time when the Government was meeting its legally-enshrined target of spending 0.7% of national income on overseas aid.
That commitment was dropped to 0.5% as a result of the impact of Covid-19 on the nation’s finances.
The leaked document said meeting the climate pledge within this spending “would squeeze out room for other commitments such as humanitarian and women and girls”.
The promise was made by Boris Johnson in 2019 but the BBC reported the memo pointed to “subsequent turbulence” in the economy – such as the pandemic – which had “turned a stretching target into a huge challenge”.
Meeting it would require a “reorientation” of the budget on a scale which “has not previously been achieved”.
Ministers including Rishi Sunak have publicly declared the £11.6 billion commitment remains in place.
A Government spokesman said: “Claims that the international climate finance pledge is being dropped are false.
“As the Prime Minister set out at Cop27, the Government remains committed to spending £11.6 billion on international climate finance and we are delivering on that pledge.
“We spent over £1.4 billion 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.”
Lord Goldsmith, who raised the issue when he resigned as a minister last week, said failing to meet the promise would be seen as a “betrayal” around the world.
“The PM is insisting he isn’t breaking his promise,” the peer said. “The figures show he is.”
He said the only way the commitment could be met is if the next government, in its first years in office, allocates “over 80% of all UK bilateral aid” to climate funding, at the expense of humanitarian, health and education schemes “which obviously it cannot do”.
“There will be some who welcome this,” Lord Goldsmith said.
“But they should consider the impact on the UK of breaking a promise that Commonwealth allies and countless others prize above all others.
“It will be seen as an act of betrayal on a profound level and will cause us irreparable reputational harm.”
Senior Tory Sir Alok Sharma, president of the Cop26 climate summit, warned against dropping the pledge.
“So hope the government is not planning to drop its climate finance pledge to some of the most climate vulnerable countries in the world,” he said on Twitter.
When Mr Johnson announced the commitment there was “spontaneous applause” and “it was a proud moment for the UK”, Sir Alok said.
“There will be some who welcome this,” Lord Goldsmith said.
“But they should consider the impact on the UK of breaking a promise that Commonwealth allies and countless others prize above all others.
“It will be seen as an act of betrayal on a profound level and will cause us irreparable reputational harm.”
Senior Tory Sir Alok Sharma, president of the Cop26 climate summit, warned against dropping the pledge.
“So hope the government is not planning to drop its climate finance pledge to some of the most climate vulnerable countries in the world,” he said on Twitter.
When Mr Johnson announced the commitment there was “spontaneous applause” and “it was a proud moment for the UK”, Sir Alok said.
Memo reveals pressure on UK climate finance pledge
Justin Rowlatt - climate editor, BBC News
Wed, July 5, 2023
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak addressing delegates at last year's COP27 in Egypt after initially saying he would not attend the event
The government looks set to break its flagship £11.6bn climate and nature funding pledge for developing countries, an internal government document seen by the BBC says.
The document details how the government has consistently underspent and would now struggle to meet its 2026 target.
Some 83% of the total overseas aid budget would need to be reallocated to climate to catch up, it adds.
The government says it will honour promises made on climate finance.
"The government remains committed to spending £11.6bn on international climate finance and we are delivering on that pledge," a government spokesperson said.
Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson pledged in 2019 to double the amount spent on the UK's international climate finance (ICF) - aid for vulnerable nations to deal with the causes of climate change - to at least £11.6bn between 2021/22 and 2025/26.
But the document says "subsequent turbulence" - referring to economic shocks such as the Covid pandemic - "has turned a stretching target into a huge challenge".
Overall international aid spending has also since been cut to 0.5% of GDP, down from 0.7%.
Civil servants have calculated the government is now so behind on its spending promises it would have to spend 83% of the total foreign aid budget on climate to meet the ICF target by 2026.
That would require a "reorientation" of the budget on a scale which has "not previously been achieved", they say.
Doing so would also mean that there would be no cash left for other priorities such as projects "specifically targeted at helping women and girls", civil servants write.
World's hottest day since records began
A really simple guide to climate change
What does net zero mean?
The revelations follows Tory peer Lord Zac Goldsmith's resignation from Rishi Sunak's government last week over what he described as the prime minister's "apathy" towards climate change.
Lord Goldsmith has told the BBC that in his view, the low levels of expenditure so far combined with the decision to define our spending on Afghan and Ukrainian refugees here in the UK - something he says other countries have not done - means "it is going to be virtually impossible to honour the promise."
"Whoever is in government after the next election", he said, "would have to savagely slash humanitarian, education, health and other funding in order to hit the £11.6bn target."
Lord Goldsmith said he was worried that small island states in particular "will be left feeling utterly betrayed" and said the UK's reputation as a "reliable partner" will "simply be shredded".
That is a view that is echoed by many in the overseas aid community.
"Frankly it is embarrassing", a director of one UK aid agency told the BBC. "The cuts make it supremely difficult to credibly state the UK remains a climate change thought leader."
"There used to a be a huge amount of goodwill across Africa for the UK", he continued. "We were seen as the best in the sector, engaged and effective. This is no longer the case. The UK is now seen as an unreliable partner."
Mr Sunak insisted Lord Goldsmith had quit after being asked to apologise for comments he made about the Privileges Committee inquiry over the conduct of Boris Johnson and whether he had intentionally misled the House of Commons as PM.
But Lord Goldsmith denied this, instead saying his decision to step down had been a "long time coming".
The ICF refers to UK aid given to support vulnerable countries to deal with the causes of climate change, including preventing deforestation and reducing carbon emissions, as well as preparing for its effects.
It forms a part of the global commitment to spend $100bn a year on climate finance for developing countries.
Justin Rowlatt - climate editor, BBC News
Wed, July 5, 2023
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak addressing delegates at last year's COP27 in Egypt after initially saying he would not attend the event
The government looks set to break its flagship £11.6bn climate and nature funding pledge for developing countries, an internal government document seen by the BBC says.
The document details how the government has consistently underspent and would now struggle to meet its 2026 target.
Some 83% of the total overseas aid budget would need to be reallocated to climate to catch up, it adds.
The government says it will honour promises made on climate finance.
"The government remains committed to spending £11.6bn on international climate finance and we are delivering on that pledge," a government spokesperson said.
Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson pledged in 2019 to double the amount spent on the UK's international climate finance (ICF) - aid for vulnerable nations to deal with the causes of climate change - to at least £11.6bn between 2021/22 and 2025/26.
But the document says "subsequent turbulence" - referring to economic shocks such as the Covid pandemic - "has turned a stretching target into a huge challenge".
Overall international aid spending has also since been cut to 0.5% of GDP, down from 0.7%.
Civil servants have calculated the government is now so behind on its spending promises it would have to spend 83% of the total foreign aid budget on climate to meet the ICF target by 2026.
That would require a "reorientation" of the budget on a scale which has "not previously been achieved", they say.
Doing so would also mean that there would be no cash left for other priorities such as projects "specifically targeted at helping women and girls", civil servants write.
World's hottest day since records began
A really simple guide to climate change
What does net zero mean?
The revelations follows Tory peer Lord Zac Goldsmith's resignation from Rishi Sunak's government last week over what he described as the prime minister's "apathy" towards climate change.
Lord Goldsmith has told the BBC that in his view, the low levels of expenditure so far combined with the decision to define our spending on Afghan and Ukrainian refugees here in the UK - something he says other countries have not done - means "it is going to be virtually impossible to honour the promise."
"Whoever is in government after the next election", he said, "would have to savagely slash humanitarian, education, health and other funding in order to hit the £11.6bn target."
Lord Goldsmith said he was worried that small island states in particular "will be left feeling utterly betrayed" and said the UK's reputation as a "reliable partner" will "simply be shredded".
That is a view that is echoed by many in the overseas aid community.
"Frankly it is embarrassing", a director of one UK aid agency told the BBC. "The cuts make it supremely difficult to credibly state the UK remains a climate change thought leader."
"There used to a be a huge amount of goodwill across Africa for the UK", he continued. "We were seen as the best in the sector, engaged and effective. This is no longer the case. The UK is now seen as an unreliable partner."
Mr Sunak insisted Lord Goldsmith had quit after being asked to apologise for comments he made about the Privileges Committee inquiry over the conduct of Boris Johnson and whether he had intentionally misled the House of Commons as PM.
But Lord Goldsmith denied this, instead saying his decision to step down had been a "long time coming".
The ICF refers to UK aid given to support vulnerable countries to deal with the causes of climate change, including preventing deforestation and reducing carbon emissions, as well as preparing for its effects.
It forms a part of the global commitment to spend $100bn a year on climate finance for developing countries.
No comments:
Post a Comment