Asked by: Lord Bishop of Salisbury (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of any link between climate change and migration.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
The UK government has been at the forefront of assessing the link between climate change and migration. In 2011, UK Government Office for Science published the Foresight report on Migration and Global Environmental Change, which used cutting-edge science to assess how environmental changes such as flooding, drought and rising sea levels may influence global human migration. The government continues to assess emerging science and evidence in this area.
The UK is a leader in ambitious climate action and delivering success at COP26 is the government’s top international priority. We were the first major economy to legislate for net zero emissions by 2050 and we are committed to helping communities adapt to the impacts of climate change that are already happening, particularly in the most vulnerable countries. This includes supporting sustainable livelihoods and reducing the risk and impact of disaster, which will help ensure that people are not forced to leave their homes and communities while delivering on the Global Goals.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Salisbury (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how much they have contributed to International Climate Finance in each year since 2016; what percentage that amount constitutes of the £5.8 billion they pledged to that fund; and whether the full amount pledged will be provided by 2020 as stated in the Paris Agreement.
Answered by Lord Bates
The Department for International Development (DFID), the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) are together responsible for spending the £5.8 billion of International Climate Finance (ICF) pledged by the Government in the period 2016/17 to 2020/21. The funding is earmarked within departmental budgets.
In total these three departments have spent ICF of £1,119 million in 2016/17 and £958 million in 2017/18, representing 36% of the £5.8 billion commitment. The amount spent in 2018/19 is not yet available.
The Government remains committed to delivering the £5.8 billion pledge in full by 2020/21, recognising the vital importance of supporting developing countries to tackle climate change. Each department has plans in place to deploy this funding over the remaining period to achieve the maximum impact possible.