Almost £6bn of the UK’s foreign aid budget will be spent on tackling climate change in poor countries over the next five years, David Cameron has said, as Britain steps up its contributions by 50% to help meet international targets.

 

The prime minister will unveil the UK’s offer at the United Nations general assembly, before crucial international climate change talks in Paris in December where nations are expected to collectively pledge $100bn (£66bn) a year by 2020.

 

The UK’s promise of £5.8bn between 2016 and 2021 is backloaded, so the UK will contribute the most, about £1.87bn, in the target year of 2020. The new commitment is greater than that of the 2011 to 2016 period, for which the UK offered £3.87bn in climate finance through the foreign aid budget.

 

But campaigners and charities will want to know more detail about how the money is going to be spent and how it affects other international development programmes, which are paid for out of the 0.7% of national income dedicated to foreign aid.

 

Before the UN meeting, Cameron said tackling climate change and poverty go together and these would help keep future generations secure. “That’s why it is so important that we secure an ambitious, global deal in Paris later this year that keeps our goal of limiting global warming by 2050 to two degrees within reach,” he said.

 

 

PHOTO: David Cameron hosted the French president at Chequers last week.

CREDIT: Getty Images.