Asked by: Lady Hermon (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to ensure that all UK international aid is responsive to (a) climate change and (b) low carbon emissions; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Grant Shapps
DFID’s responsibilities on climate and environment derive from the International Development Act’s commitment to sustainable development, based on the substantial evidence that poverty eradication is not possible without tackling climate change. Climate and environment risks and opportunities are considered as part of DFID’s programing to ensure it supports climate resilience and lower carbon growth to eradicate poverty. The capacity of DFID staff to do this has been developed through DFID’s ‘Future Fit’ programme which has worked with all DFID spending departments to develop climate plans.
In addition, the UK’s flagship International Climate Fund (ICF) has been used to integrate climate issues in DFID programmes in climate vulnerable sectors such as forestry, water, agriculture and disaster management. The ICF has already helped 15m people cope with the impacts of climate change, and created 39,000 jobs many of them in low carbon energy programmes that have provided access to low carbon energy to more than 2.8m people.