UK aid has reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 16 million tonnes

UK aid has helped millions of the world’s poorest people access clean energy and prepare for the impact of climate change in the last eight years, new statistics show. The results come as the UK government announces it expects to host COP26 in Glasgow in 2020.

UK aid is helping to tackle the impact of climate change, including through projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to grow climate resilient crops.

The International Climate Finance results, published by the Department for International Development yearly, show the dramatic effect these UK aid projects have had on reducing the impact of climate change.

UK aid supported climate projects have in the last eight years:

• Provided 26 million people with improved access to clean energy, including those previously living without reliable electricity in the poorest communities in Kenya, Rwanda and Malawi.
• Reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 16 million tonnes – the equivalent to taking three million cars off the road for a year.
• Helped 57 million people to cope with the effects of climate change – from supporting poor farmers to grow climate resilient crops, to preserving water in areas facing an increased drought risk, and investing in systems to help save communities vulnerable to extreme flooding and other impacts of climate change.

Last month, the Prime Minister announced at the G7 the UK would double its investment in the Green Climate Fund to £1.44 billion over the next four years, compared to £720 million between 2014 and 2019.

Original source: DFID
Published on 10 September 2019