UK faces paying more to help Third World tackle climate change
BRITISH taxpayers face paying more to help developing countries tackle climate change after Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris agreement left a £2.3billion black hole. The US President pulled the plug on billions of dollars his country pledged as part of a £78billion international commitment to help poor countries switch to renewable energy.
And now other rich nations – including the UK – could be called on to cover the cost. International Development Secretary Priti Patel yesterday indicated she would be reluctant to plug the financial gap left by Mr Trump’s decision to pull out.
She stressed the importance of the fund in heading off wider humanitarian crises such as droughts and floods and said leaders should focus on cutting waste from the programme rather than pumping in more cash immediately. Asked whether the UK could contribute more, she told the Daily Mail: ‘It is not always about money, it is about ways of working and how to achieve effective outcomes.
‘I think we can work more effectively in making sure that every pound that goes in to the fund is achieving what it is meant to do.’
Mr Trump’s decision to pull out of the Paris agreement was met with dismay around the world yesterday. China and Europe pledged to unite to save ‘Mother Earth’ as others, including the UK and Russia, reaffirmed their commitment to the international accord.
A key part of the 2015 Paris deal, signed by more than 190 nations, was a commitment from the richest nations to contribute £78billion a year to the Green Climate Fund to help poorer countries tackle global warming. The UK has promised £720million – money that comes from the foreign aid budget and prifor vate investors. Former president Barack Obama had pledged £2.3billion from the US.
The Paris Climate Agreement commits nations to reduce carbon emissions to stop the world overheating. But Mr Trump – who previously dismissed climate change as a ‘Chinese hoax’ – wants to renegotiate terms that are ‘fairer’ to the US.
In a Press conference after a summit between the EU and China, European Council president Donald Tusk said the bloc was stepping up co-operation with China on climate change. ‘Today, China and Europe have demonstrated solidarity with future generations and responsibility for the planet,’ he said.
Russia said it was still likely to back the Paris pact, although a Kremlin spokesman said Washington’s withdrawal had punched a gaping hole in the agreement because the US was one of the biggest generators of emissions.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson sought to ward off criticism by saying the US would continue trying to curb greenhouse emissions despite pulling out of the Paris accord. But French President Emmanuel Macron turned Mr Trump’s ‘Make America Great Again’ campaign slogan on its head, saying that it was time to ‘make the planet great again’.
Prime Minister Theresa May told Mr Trump of her ‘disappointment’ at his decision in a phone call with the President shortly after his announcement on Thursday.
But she was criticised by Labour failing to add her name to a joint statement issued by European leaders to say that the Paris climate accord cannot be renegotiated as Mr Trump has demanded.
Jeremy Corbyn said: ‘Given the chance to present a united front from our international partners she [Mrs May] has instead opted for silence and once again subservience to Donald Trump. It’s a dereliction of both her duty to this country and our duty to our planet.’
Gareth Redmond-King, head of climate and energy at the World Wide Fund for Nature, said investment in renewable energy was a great business opportunity. ‘We’re calling on the next UK government to step up as a global leader on tackling climate change,’ he said.
‘It is what the public wants, it makes economic sense and it is what the world needs in order to safeguard the lives of future generations.’
Comment – Page 16
Fury around the world as Trump pulls US out of climate deal