Pensioners blast plan to pay poor countries billions for climate crisis
PLANS to hand payments to countries affected by climaterelated disasters have been slated by pensioners.
Foreign aid campaigners say taxpayers should stump up billions to help poorer nations, despite vulnerable Britons struggling to pay bills in the cost-of-living crisis.
“Reparation” handouts to countries suffering the impacts of climate change have been discussed at this week’s COP27 summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.
Some have claimed the UK must pay up after damaging the planet by burning fossil fuels to power our economy.
But Rishi Sunak made no mention of reparations during a speech at the summit on Monday.
And Downing Street insisted the UK was already helping countries deal with the impact of climate change.
Priorities
Britain is tripling funding for climate adaptation from £500million to £1.5billion in 2025.
But critics have blasted the plans. John O’Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said taxpayers will be livid at the Prime Minister for making “more grandiose green pledges while public finances are in the red”.
He added: “With energy bills spiralling and winter approaching, Brits are already on the hook for huge bills for support schemes.
“The Government needs to get its priorities straight and save funds for frontline services.”
Pensioner Margaret Gregory said: “The Tories are spending billions on economic migrants and foreign aid, but they don’t care about the British people, especially pensioners.” Norman and Sue Clark, from Millom, in Cumbria, said while there has been doubt over finding money for the triple lock pension promise, there is “always billions for foreign aid”. The Clarks added: “Why, oh why, do we not care about the people who have worked all their lives and now deserve a bit of time to enjoy their later years?”
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly yesterday confirmed the UK will send £200million to African countries to help them adapt to the impacts of climate change. Mr Cleverly said the new funding pledge will help with severe drought and floods.
He added: “Climate change is having a devastating impact on countries in sub-Saharan Africa, which have historically received a tiny proportion of climate finance.”
Over the past 12 months, the developing world has faced severe climate-related catastrophes, from flooding in Pakistan to drought in East Africa.
This summer’s record monsoon left a third of Pakistan underwater.
Millions of people remain homeless and tens of thousands of schools and hospitals lie in ruins.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called on Western nations to offer compensation to poorer countries like his, which he says bear the brunt of climate change.
HOPES are rising that the “triple lock” – which stops pensioners being plunged into poverty – will be saved as legions of Britons rally to our campaign.
Nearly 300,000 have signed our petition calling on the Government to preserve this vital defence against pensioner hardship.
Such emphatic support proves that people of decency across the land understand it would be a national disgrace to scrap the triple lock, which ensures the state pension rises by whichever is highest – inflation, average earnings or 2.5 per cent.
It is reassuring to hear Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride state the Government “cares about those that have the least and is there to protect them at every turn”.
He will know that abandoning it in this month’s Autumn Statement would outrage millions of people, torpedo trust in politicians and, most seriously, push men and women who depend on these payments into grave anxiety.
Yes, inflation has surged but this is not an argument for scrapping the triple lock. Quite the opposite.
The commitment to at least match inflation ensures pensioners can afford life’s necessities, even during an economic crisis.
At a time of rocketing costs it is vital our older citizens, whom we owe gratitude and respect, do not suffer a grotesque injustice.