Average weekly wholesale prices of bananas by country of origin

Series of weekly average wholesale market prices of selected home grown horticultural produce.

The UK is doubling support to help developing countries reduce their greenhouse gas emissions as part of efforts to help meet the global targets set in Paris.

The Green Climate Fund supports projects to protect and preserve natural habitats in the developing world, including in the Amazon where wildfires are currently destroying large areas of the forest. It also supports projects that reduce emissions and help people adapt to the impacts of climate change.

Ahead of the G7 session on climate change and the environment today (Monday 26 August) the Prime Minister announced the UK will double its contribution to the international Green Climate Fund (GCF) – which was established as part of the COP climate change process – over the next four years to adapt to the effects of climate change in the developing world.

It is estimated that existing GCF projects will help 300 million people cope with the effects of climate change and take the equivalent of 1.5 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. That’s the same as taking 300 million cars off the road for a whole year or every plane out of the sky for 18 months.

International Development Secretary Alok Sharma said:

The World Bank estimates 100 million people are at risk of being pushed into poverty by 2030 if action isn’t taken to tackle climate change.

This is a global problem that requires a global solution. Britain cannot solve such problems alone. Doubling the UK’s contribution to the world’s largest fund dedicated to tackling climate change will enable more investment in prevention and preparedness, and lever further private sector finance so we can achieve our climate change goals.

Business and Energy Secretary Andrea Leadsom said:

I am delighted that the UK is leading the world in a fight against climate change. Having committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2050, we have a responsibility to help other countries do the same.

The Green Climate Fund has supported millions of people in developing countries deal with the impacts of a changing climate. I’m really proud to announce that we are doubling our contribution and continue to work with other nations to tackle this global issue.

Notes to editors

Today the Department for International Development and Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy have pledged to contribute £1.44bn to the Green Climate Fund over the next four years. This doubles the UK’s previous contribution of £720m between 2014 and 2019.

Since GCF programmes began in 2015, the GCF has provided $5.2 billion to fund 111 projects and mobilised over $13.5 billion of private sector and other co-investment.

The GCF aims to work closely with the private sector to use their expertise and investment. 40% of GCF projects have been delivered in partnership with the private sector.

More than 40 countries are currently funding projects through the GCF – many alongside the private sector.

GCF projects are working with indigenous communities to prevent deforestation in the Amazon, increasing access to clean energy in Rwanda to reduce families’ dependence on diesel and kerosene, and installing solar power water pumps in Ethiopia to help people cope during drought.

The GCF has now invested almost all of its available resources in climate resilience and low carbon projects; this new support will help develop projects from 2020.

The UK sits on the board of the GCF alongside 23 other members from developed and developing countries. The GCF board allocates all funding, and as a major donor the UK, among other countries, gets a significant say on spending decisions.

As with all its aid spending, the UK tracks and scrutinises every penny we contribute to the GCF to ensure it is delivering results on the ground and value for UK taxpayers.

Boris Johnson will today announce new UK funding to help tackle deforestation in the Amazon, as part of a package of announcements to combat climate change and protect biodiversity and the environment.

The PM will make £10 million immediately available to help step up efforts to protect and restore the Amazon rainforest in Brazil – including in areas affected by the current fires.

The new funding builds on support the UK has already invested to restore the rainforest in Brazil and neighbouring countries, and will help safeguard the huge biodiversity of animal and plant species found in the Amazon.

In addition, the PM will announce that the UK is increasing its contribution to the Green Climate Fund whose projects safeguard forests and land – including in the Amazon, reduce emissions, and help people cope with the effects of climate change in developing countries.

The fund supports a number of programmes to preserve natural habitats around the world – including to tackle deforestation in the Amazon rainforest in Brazil.

The PM will underline that biodiversity and climate change are “two sides of the same coin” and must be addressed in tandem if we are to protect the planet. The destruction of forests and other habitats creates emissions that contribute to and accelerate the rate of climate change.

Ahead of today’s G7 session on climate change and the environment, PM Boris Johnson said:

In a week where we have all watched, horrified, as the Amazon rainforest burns before our eyes, we cannot escape the reality of the damage we are inflicting on the natural world.

The planet faces two immense threats: climate change and biodiversity loss. These are two sides of the same coin – it is impossible to solve one challenge without fixing the other.

We cannot stop climate change without protecting the natural environment and we can’t restore global nature without tackling climate change.

That is why I have decided that COP26 – if the UK is fortunate enough to host it next year – will have as a major focus the solutions to climate change that can be found in nature – such as reforestation.

The PM will use the G7 Summit to call for ambitious new targets to halt and reverse the tragic and unprecedented loss of habitats and species and to tackle climate change.

He will call for new international targets to restore the natural environment that are more ambitious than the existing Aichi biodiversity targets – which expire in 2020.

The PM will say these new targets should address the key drivers of biodiversity loss, and cover issues such as the protection and restoration of natural habitats, sustainable land use, the conservation of species, pollution, and the environmental damage caused by the introduction of non-native species into ecosystems.

Speaking ahead of his discussions with G7 leaders, the PM added:

Next year is a crucial one for the future of our planet. At the Biodiversity COP in China the Aichi targets must be replaced with new, more ambitious targets that help us get back the biodiversity we have lost.

The current global biodiversity targets have failed to stop the catastrophic decline in species. As the world’s largest economies we owe it to all nations and to future generations to do better.

We cannot sit back as animals and plants are wiped off the face of the planet by mankind’s recklessness. If we do not act now our children and grandchildren will never know a world with the Great Barrier Reef, the Sumatran tiger or the black rhino.

It is not good enough simply to halt the tragic and unprecedented loss of habitats and species – we must urgently reverse this appalling trajectory, before it is too late.

The Prime Minister will also urge countries to back Britain’s call to protect 30% of the world’s ocean by 2030 – to reverse the damage being done by overfishing, plastic pollution and climate change.

And he will pledge a further £7 million to extend our work to protect and manage vital marine ecosystems in conservation areas around Britain’s overseas territories.

On the new funding for the Amazon rainforest, Business and Energy Secretary Andrea Leadsom said:

The fires devastating the Amazon rainforest are an absolute tragedy – we are ready to do all we can to protect them, both for future generations and as part of our international efforts to tackle climate change.

The £10million additional funding we’re offering today will be invested in Brazil to restore the areas already destroyed and protect those habitats still intact – all while supporting those communities and businesses in the area to work together to secure its future.

An additional 50 towns will benefit from the £1 billion Future High Streets Fund, Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed today.

Towns across England – from Dudley to Dover and Scarborough to Stockport – will join 50 successful areas already shortlisted to develop plans to reinvent their high streets.

The funding could be used by these areas to improve transport and access into town centres, convert empty retail units into new homes and workplaces, and invest in vital infrastructure.

The extension to the shortlist comes on the back of the £3.6 billion Towns Fund announced last month, which included an additional £325 million for the Future High Streets Fund, taking the overall Fund to £1 billion as the Government looks to drive forward local growth.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said:

Our high streets are right at the heart of our communities, and I will do everything I can to make sure they remain vibrant places where people want to go, meet and spend their money.

But with our town centres facing challenges, we’re today expanding the High Streets Fund to support over 100 high streets to regenerate – backed by £1 billion of vital investment.

This scheme is going to reenergise and transform even more of our high streets – helping them to attract new businesses, boost local growth, and create new infrastructure and jobs.

Communities Secretary Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP said:

High streets have a crucial role to play as we work to grow the economy of all parts of the country.

Our £1 billion Future High Streets Fund is key to delivering this, empowering local leaders to help transform their high streets and town centres as consumer habits change, by investing in housing, workplaces, infrastructure and culture.

Interest in the Fund has been huge, and with so many strong applications, I am extending the number of towns moving forward to the next phase and getting a chance to develop their proposals.

The government is going to level-up our regional economies and as Communities Secretary I am proud to be driving this agenda forward.

Successful candidates will progress to the second phase of the Future High Streets Fund and receive up to £150,000 to support the development of detailed project proposals that can be submitted for capital funding.

The scheme was launched in December 2018 and is a key part of the Government’s plan to renew and reshape town centres and high streets in a way that drives economic growth and sustainably improves living standards.

A number of other measures have already been taken to support our high streets, including the creation of the High Streets Task Force to support local leaders in delivering ambitious plans.

Through the planning system we are helping to support changes to high streets, making it easier for them to adapt, with a wider range of retail, residential and other uses. The Open Doors pilot in five town centres is bringing empty shops back into use, by opening these to community groups who are offering services to the most vulnerable in our communities.

Small retailers have also seen their bills cut by a third thanks to business rates retail discount, worth an estimated £1 billion.

The Great British High Street Awards recognise and celebrate retailers and community groups who are working in innovative ways to keep town centres and high streets vibrant and strong. Shortlisted high streets were recently announced and voting for the Champion and Rising Star Awards is now open.