New Delhi: The UK government announced Thursday that its International Climate Finance (ICF) has helped 110 million people adapt to the effects of climate change, while reducing or avoiding over 100 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions and avoiding 750,000 hectares of ecosystem loss.
According to reports published on the same day, the UK has supported over 82 million people with improved access to clean energy, and avoided or reduced 105 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, a figure equivalent to taking all UK cars off the road for approximately one year and seven months.
Through ICF, UK aid is investing in a number of innovative solutions to tackle climate change, such as energy efficiency and forestry across the developing world.
One example is the Climate Public Partnership (CP3) programme, which has addressed the dual challenge of climate change and access to clean, affordable energy by building a public-private partnership to unlock private investments.
UK aid has invested in private equity funds, including £50 million to the Catalyst Fund, successfully mobilising over £86 million of private finance across 124 projects.
The Blue Forests Programme is helping to protect, restore, and sustainably manage mangrove forests in Madagascar and Indonesia. The programme has developed green business opportunities based on sustainable mangrove forestry and fisheries management and has helped protect around 58,000 hectares of mangrove forests, delivering around 660,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide savings.
UK Climate Minister Kerry McCarthy highlighted the UK’s significant role in supporting vulnerable communities worldwide in combating climate change while simultaneously alleviating poverty and enhancing access to cleaner energy sources. However, she emphasized the necessity of further action and stressed the importance of unlocking greater global climate finance to address the urgent needs of developing countries that are at the forefront of the climate crisis.