Shawdesh Desk:

Thirty-one million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions were reduced globally in the last nine years as a result of UK intervention – the equivalent to taking 6.7 million cars off the road for a year – according to new climate finance data published on Wednesday.

UK International Climate Finance (ICF) investments aim to reduce poverty by helping developing countries build resilience and manage the risks of climate change.

Developing countries are the hardest hit by climate change and the World Bank estimates that without intervention the impact of rising emissions could push an additional 100 million people into poverty by 2030, said the British High Commission in Dhaka on Thursday.

The results show that since 2011, UK aid investment has:  Provided 33 million people with improved access to clean energy, including connections to off-grid renewable energy sources, access to solar lanterns and clean cook stoves.

Installed 2000 MW of clean energy capacity, equivalent to the capacity of 454 average sized UK offshore wind turbines,  Helped 66 million people to cope with the effects of climate change, for example by providing training on how to grow climate-resilient crops and Leveraged £2.2 billion of private finance to fight climate change.

In 2021 the UK will host the COP-26 climate summit in Glasgow, building on the success of the landmark 2015 Paris Agreement to tackle climate change internationally.

The UK’s world-leading ICF investments demonstrate the Prime Minister’s commitment to help the world build back better from coronavirus by preventing deforestation, investing in climate-resilient crops and implementing early warning systems for floods.

“As the world starts to recover from coronavirus, we have a unique opportunity to help the poorest countries build back greener from this devastating pandemic and become more resilient to the impacts of climate change,” UK’s International Development Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan said.

She said UK aid is fighting climate change while lifting people out of poverty. As we prepare to host COP26, the UK will be pushing for international action to tackle these two challenges.

Through International Climate Finance, UK aid is investing in innovative solutions for tackling climate change. In Indonesia, this support has created a legally binding agreement between the Indonesian government and forest managers to prevent deforestation and provide new, sustainable jobs for local communities.

Through this programme, more than 270,000 hectares of forest – the equivalent of nearly 400,000 football pitches – have been protected.

“As hosts of COP26, the UK is committed to tackling climate change in a manner which leaves no one behind, especially countries that need urgent support,” COP26 President and Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Alok Sharma said.

“I am proud that our International Climate Finance scheme is part of this work, from protecting our precious forests to ensuring developing countries are supported through adaptation and resilience measures and assisted to transition to cleaner, greener energy,” he added.