Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if the Government will increase funding ahead of COP26 to tackle air pollution worldwide, particularly in areas where air pollution is increasing, to help countries meet WHO ambient air quality standards and SDG air quality targets.
Answered by James Duddridge
The UK Government recognises the impact of poor air quality on the health and development, particularly of children and older people. Our £340m core voluntary contribution to World Health Organisation represents a significant uplift in UK support and is fully flexible, meaning it will be used across the priorities identified in World Health Organisation's current programme of work, including on the environmental determinants of health through policy and country level support.
As one of the original signatories to the 1979 UNECE Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution, the UK has long been at the forefront of international action to tackle transboundary air pollution. Through this convention the UK supports international programmes to drive forward scientific understanding of air pollution emissions and their impacts, and engages constructively to agree ambitious standards and emission reduction commitments that encourage action across the Northern Hemisphere and serve as a model for a global response.
The UK has worked with partners to develop the COP26 Health Programme with the aim to support increased ambition on climate and health. This includes the opportunity for countries to make commitments to build their health sector in a way which limits its impact on both carbon emissions and air quality.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with representatives of (a) the World Bank and (b) other donors on encouraging (i) cessation all new fossil fuel investments and (ii) investment in clean energy to tackle air pollution.
Answered by James Duddridge
The UK government recognises the importance of reducing fossil fuel consumption both to address carbon emissions and to tackle air pollution. Air pollution which is the number one environmental determinant of health and exposure to air pollution (indoor and outdoor) causes around 7 million deaths annually.
We have shared the UK's fossil fuel policy with the World Bank and other Multilateral Development Banks that the UK is a member of. We have explained that this policy determines the UK's stance on energy investments by the banks and have encouraged them to update their respective energy policies to align with ours. The World Bank's 'Climate Change Action Plan' 2021-2025 published in June 2021 includes important commitments to: support countries' energy transitions from fossil fuels to renewables; align the Bank's financing with the Paris Agreement; and ensure that at least 35% of the Bank's financing will have climate benefits. We have also shared and discussed the UK policy with other members of the Boards of the multilateral banks, including with the representatives of the developing countries that borrow from them. The US has published new guidance on its approach to fossil fuels at the Multilateral Development Banks which is well aligned with the UK's policy on international support for fossil fuels.