Commons Sense

House of Commons · Westminster Hall

COP29 and International Climate Finance

30 October 2024 · 4 other contributors · 3,745 words

Opened by Ellie Chowns Green North Herefordshire

Responding minister: Anneliese Dodds

Climate

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Ellie Chowns raised concerns about cop29 and international climate finance in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.

Key points

  • Concerns raised about the need for international climate finance to address mitigation, adaptation, and loss and damage, highlighting the historical responsibility of early industrialising countries like the UK.
  • Request made for the Government to commit to a collective quantified goal for climate finance in trillions of dollars at COP29.
  • Asked for the UK to maintain its commitment to providing grants as the primary form of climate finance until 2026, with a call for increasing this proportion over time.

Key requests to Government

I ask the Government to commit to a collective quantified goal for climate finance in trillions of dollars at COP29. I also request that the UK maintains its commitment to providing grants as the primary form of climate finance until 2026, ideally increasing this proportion over time.

How the debate unfolded

MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.

Opened the debate

Ellie Chowns Green North Herefordshire

I am concerned about the need for international climate finance to address mitigation, adaptation, and loss and damage. I recognise that there is a historical responsibility for early industrialising countries like the UK to take action on climate finance. There is an urgent need for grants rather than loans, as many poor countries spend more on debt repayments than on essential health and education services. Additionally, international climate finance must be additional to aid and should not reduce funds available for health and education.

Other contributors (4)
  • Bambos Charalambous Lab Southgate and Wood Green

    For some low-income countries, one of the biggest factors is debt through private creditors. Thirty-four African countries spend more on debt interest than on health and education.

  • Jim Shannon DUP Strangford

    Congratulated the hon. Lady on securing the debate and mentioned 14 programmes initiated to support farmers globally, urging more Government assistance domestically with incentives for greener farming.

  • Sam Rushworth Lab Bishop Auckland

    Welcomed the point made about addressing the issue of debt owed to private creditors, emphasizing that poor people should not bear the cost of climate emergencies for a just transition.

  • Toby Perkins Lab Chesterfield

    He congratulated the hon. Member for North Herefordshire on securing the debate and highlighted that the UN has identified a need for £600 billion of additional private finance to tackle climate change, suggesting the UK is uniquely placed to lead on this due to its expertise in financial services. He also reported from Colombia at the biodiversity COP where there was global support for UK leadership on nature and biodiversity.

Government Response

Anneliese Dodds

It is a real pleasure to serve in this Chamber with you in the Chair, Sir Roger. I am grateful to the hon. Member for North Herefordshire (Ellie Chowns) for securing this debate and speaking so powerfully. This Government are getting on with reconnecting Britain to the world and modernising our approach to international development in a spirit of genuine partnership and respect. We believe that action on the climate crisis is critical to grow our economy and bring opportunities to people across our country and globally, and we know that our partners around the world share that ambition. The UK Government is determined to support others to scale up their ambition and action, including initiatives such as the global clean power alliance. For the first time, the UK is able to speak with credibility on this because of the new Government's stating that we will not grant new oil and gas licences, removing the ban on onshore wind and introducing other measures. The proportion of climate finance that reaches farmers in the most fragile and conflict-affected states is minuscule, particularly for adaptation. That must change urgently. We are determined to agree an ambitious new collective quantified goal; that is absolutely pivotal to our negotiations and vital to maintaining the global consensus of the Paris agreement and keeping 1.5° of warming within our reach. The UK has committed £100 million to the taskforce on access to climate finance, co-chaired with Rwanda, and we are working with the World Bank and the board of the new fund for those facing devastating loss and damage. We need real follow-through from the global stocktake on commitments such as tripling renewable power and doubling energy efficiency globally by 2030, and we need implementation of the national adaptation plans as we scale up finance in support. There is a huge amount to do; now is the time for the global action that the hon. Lady rightly focused on.

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