Oral Answers to Questions

Caroline Lucas Excerpts

Thursday 16th December 2010 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Last but not least, I call Caroline Lucas.

[Caroline Lucas (Brighton, Pavilion) (Green)]

In the light of the role that the World Bank could play in establishing and managing the new green climate fund, which was set up following the Cancun agreements, will the Secretary of State comment on the current level of fossil fuel lending undertaken by the World Bank group, and will he support a major shift to lending for renewables instead?

[Chris Huhne]

The Government have repeatedly said, and I entirely agree, that the lending practices of the World Bank and other institutions must reflect the overwhelming need that we have as a globe to move towards a low-carbon economy. It is certainly dispiriting to find that that need was not reflected in some of the loans that were approved recently by the World Bank.