UK civil society organisations unite to demand prime minister keeps climate finance promise

In the UK, more than 90 civil society organisations have written to prime minister Rishi Sunak to demand that he keeps his climate finance promise.

The organisations span environment, international development, education, trade union, disability inclusion, trade, humanitarian, business, and faith groups, and include WWF-UK, ActionAid UK, Tearfund, World Vision UK, Friends of the Earth, and Oxfam GB.

The letter is in response to recent claims that the UK government has effectively abandoned its commitment to provide £11.6bn climate finance between April 2021 and March 2026. The civil society groups are calling for the government to fulfil its commitment and to urgently demonstrate how it will be met.

The letter says:

“Climate finance is a vital component of the Paris Agreement, without which limiting the rise in global temperature to 1.5°C will not be possible; without which the devastation of climate change will cost countless lives and livelihoods around the world for those least responsible for causing the climate crisis and cause irreversible damage to the ecosystems on which they depend; and without which meaningful international cooperation on climate action would collapse.

“The world cannot afford such tragedies from short-sighted decisions.

“Climate finance is not a handout, but a debt we owe to countries and communities that have been made vulnerable to climate change, while the UK has benefited from burning fossil fuels.”

Commenting on 7 July – the date the letter was sent – Catherine Pettengell, Executive Director of Climate Action Network UK (CAN-UK), which is the organisation that coordinated the letter, said:

“Today’s letter from more than 90 civil society organisations in the UK demonstrates the strength and breadth of support for UK climate finance. This government must not turn its back on countries and communities least responsible for the climate crisis but suffering its worst impacts. True leadership means taking responsibility for the UK’s historical emissions and the wealth that has generated and giving back fairly, to secure a better future for everyone.”

Rachel Simon, Policy Coordinator International Climate Finance, Climate Action Network Europe commented:

“If the UK cuts its climate finance commitment it would destroy its international credibility, at a time when multilateral trust on climate action is more necessary than ever. More importantly, while this cut represents a tiny fraction of the UK’s public budget, it would have devastating impacts on people in the Global South’s resilience to climate change.

“Given the UK’s historical responsibility for the climate crisis it has a moral obligation to increase, not cut, its climate finance and put a concrete plan for spending in place.”

Picture by Tama66 on Pixabay