Response to potential UK climate finance cuts

Practical Action CEO Sarah Roberts urges UK Government to retain its climate finance commitment 

Sarah Roberts, Practical Action CEO

“Practical Action is deeply concerned about reports that the UK governments £11.6bn commitment to climate finance made at the COP is likely to be cut. This move would see less money spent on climate action at a time when communities are already experiencing devastating impacts. They cannot afford to delay.

Climate finance is not a handout. It is a responsibility to countries and communities that have been made disproportionately vulnerable to climate change but who have contributed the least to the problem. The UK has skills and capacities to share with people impacted by climate change. We should be working together to accelerate solutions enabling people to adapt and thrive, not abandon them as their lives and livelihoods are under threat.

We urge the UK Government to keep to this vital commitment and to provide a clear and ambitious roadmap for how this finance will be delivered. This would provide the confidence to ensure that practical programmes which respond to the needs of people living on the frontlines of poverty and climate change are maintained.”

Practical Action has joined more than 90 organisations in signing a letter to the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak today demanding he keep his promises on climate finance. The full letter can be read here.

To interview Sarah, or find out how Practical Action has worked with thousands of people around the world to adapt and create thriving livelihoods in the face of climate change, contact Andrew Heath on 07800 884267 or email [email protected]