A year after pledges to triple climate finance provisions to developing countries, the UK has announced plans to cut climate finance for the developing world from £11.6bn over the past five years to £9bn in the next five years. The planned cuts come after the USA’s withdrawal from the Paris Agreement and planned withdrawal from the UNFCCC. Civil society organisations (CSOs) and climate experts have reacted strongly to the cuts. “Cutting it (climate finance) at this moment will cost lives and livelihoods. If the UK breaks its commitments, it gives cover for others to do the same, with devastating consequences for global climate action,” says PowerShift Africa Director Mohamed Adow. There are also concerns about the lack of transparency over the UK’s spending of climate funds and national security, inflation and food security.
