• £153 million for three major new UK aid programmes to help millions of farmers across Africa and South Asia affected by climate change and boost climate resilience in Ethiopia
• Foreign Secretary backs UK bid to host COP26 in 2020

Speaking in Nigeria on a five-day visit to Africa this week, the Foreign Secretary highlighted the vital role the UK is playing in tackling climate change, the most critical challenge facing future generations and which is ever more difficult to tackle in countries such as Nigeria, that face the additional threat of violent instability in parts of the country.

Over the next century increasing temperatures and extreme weather across Africa will continue to have a profound impact on the lives and livelihoods of communities. That is why since 1990, the UK has reduced emissions and grown the economy at the fastest rate in the G7. It is important we continue international cooperation to tackle the causes of climate change, and prevent further potentially devastating consequences for regional stability, developmental progress and future prosperity.

This is already being seen in the ‘middle belt’ region of Nigeria, where the impacts of climate change are affecting grazing lands, and as such have become a driver of the violence between farmers and herders in the region.

At a roundtable meeting in Abuja today, the Foreign Secretary heard about the very real impact of climate change on people and communities across Nigeria, including the role it plays fuelling violent conflict in some parts of the country.

In the Lake Chad Basin, desertification and land degradation caused by climate change have contributed to extreme poverty, one of the drivers of terrorism and the decade-long conflict that has left 10 million people without enough to eat every day and forced over 2.4 million people to abandon their homes.

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said:

We know that if we don’t work together to tackle climate change it will have a catastrophic impact on hundreds of millions of people across Nigeria, the Sahel and more widely across Africa, and indeed the world, hitting the poorest and most vulnerable the hardest. 9.6 million people living in Nigeria and the Sahel can’t reliably get food – and nearly 40% of people across the Sahel live on less than a $2 a day.

Countries across the Sahel are among the most exposed to the consequences of climate change. We need to prevent the escalation of conflict and instability by tackling the root causes. Africa cannot be left to manage this crisis alone. That’s why the UK will lead efforts on climate resilience in the poorest and most vulnerable countries at this year’s UN Climate Summit, and has bid to host the vital COP26 in 2020.

To help combat this threat, the Foreign Secretary has announced three major new UK aid programmes, totalling nearly £153 million, which will help millions of farmers across Africa and South Asia adapt to the effects of climate change and boost climate resilience in Ethiopia.

Through the new Enhancing Digital and Innovation for Agri-food Systems and Livelihoods (eDIAL) programme, the UK will work in partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and GSMA (the global network of mobile providers) plus other agribusinesses to develop digital solutions to improve returns for business and generate new evidence on how digital solutions can improve farmers’ productivity and resilience to climate shocks.

The Strengthening Impact Investing Markets in Agriculture (SIIMA) programme will launch a new partnership with the Shell Foundation and Acumen to mobilise £125 million additional investment and encourage future investment, including from UK investors, in innovative agri-tech businesses. This will enable the scaling up of climate-smart technologies – such as pay-as-you-go solar powered irrigation systems – across Africa which will equip farmers with the tools they need to adapt to the effects of climate change. The UK government has pledged £57.5 million for both the eDIAL and SIIMA programmes.

Finally, the UK will provide up to £95 million over five years (2019 – 2024), to support sustainable access to climate resilient clean water, improved sanitation services and good hygiene practices in Ethiopia. This programme will prioritise the drought-affected areas of the country, helping 1.2 million people by improving public health, education and nutrition.

The UK is spending at least £5.8 billion on climate finance in 2016-20 to help developing countries become more resilient to the impacts of climate change and support low carbon growth. Our co-leadership role on resilience and adaptation at the UN Climate Action Summit in September and recent bid to host COP26 next year demonstrate the UK’s deep commitment to tackling climate change.

Notes to editors

• Current UK-funded climate change projects in Nigeria include the UK-Nigeria Climate Finance Accelerator. This initiative draws on UK expertise in the City of London, by bringing together low-carbon project developers with prospective investors to help meet emission reduction targets.
• The UK is also helping to develop green bonds in Nigeria and has supported investment in large-scale solar generation through the multilateral Clean Technology Fund.

Further information

Speaking in Nigeria on a five-day visit to Africa this week, the Foreign Secretary highlighted the vital role the UK is playing in tackling climate change.

Welcomes the High Court’s judgements in the judicial review of the Airports National Policy Statement.

The government welcomes today’s (1 May 2019) judgements from the High Court in the judicial review of the Airports National Policy Statement. Of 26 grounds, all were dismissed with 21 of the 26 not even held to be arguable. The positive outcome confirms my belief that government undertook a robust process in coming to its decision to support a new north-west runway at Heathrow Airport by 2030. This was one of the largest public law challenges of all time and I am pleased that the hard work of the independent Airports Commission and the department has been shown in good light. In designating the Airports National Policy Statement, this government demonstrated its willingness to take difficult decisions, resolving an issue with which successive administrations had grappled for decades.

Heathrow expansion is more important than ever as we plan to exit the EU. Connectivity to our only aviation hub airport is vital to productivity, and expansion is critical if global Britain is to attract inward investment and increase trade with new and fast growing overseas markets. It would better connect the UK to the rest of world with an extra 16 million long-haul seats available by 2040. Heathrow expansion is a decision that benefits communities up and down the country – as well as the tens of thousands of local jobs it would create, expansion is expected to increase the number of domestic routes from our hub airport to 14; we have already seen the arrival of direct flights to Newquay, allowing easy access to the UK’s only hub airport from the south-west. In addition to new international and domestic routes, we would expect there to be increased competition on existing routes, giving greater choice to passengers. Heathrow Airport Limited has also made good progress on its logistics hub proposals – these aim to leave a lasting skills legacy across the UK. Today’s decisions by the court are another step towards realising these benefits.

This government recognises that airport expansion cannot be at any cost. Expansion at Heathrow would only take place in compliance with air quality legal limits. For those communities impacted by the scheme, a world class package of mitigations would be provided and, despite the third runway, a future Heathrow would be quieter than it was in 2013 as new, quieter, planes come online and robust noise mitigations are rolled out. To get people to and from the expanded airport, Heathrow must ensure more people travel by public transport – supported by the expected development of western and southern rail links.

I want to address climate change where the UK continues to lead internationally. While international aviation emissions currently represent less than 2% of total global emissions, we recognise the challenge that decarbonisation of aviation represents. International aviation emissions are currently excluded from UK carbon budgets – this is consistent with the Paris Agreement, which looks to the International Civil Aviation Organisation to provide leadership. The UK supports this approach and is continuing to lead negotiations on this issue. In coming to our decision to support expansion at Heathrow, the Airports Commission and the department concluded that expansion is possible within the UK’s current climate change obligations and the Committee on Climate Change’s recommended limit for aviation emissions. We are clear that expansion would only take place if it would not materially impact the ability of government to meet its carbon reduction targets now and in the future.

The government is currently consulting on its aviation strategy green paper, which creates a plan for sustainable growth that benefits the whole of the UK to 2050 and beyond. In developing the strategy, we will carefully consider the Committee on Climate Change’s forthcoming advice on the implications of the Paris Agreement for the UK’s long-term emissions reduction targets.

Scarce taxpayers’ resources – on all sides – would be better spent elsewhere. If the court grants permission for any appeals, we will seek to have them dealt with as quickly as possible. However, I urge all parties, particularly local authorities and community groups affected by the proposals, to move forward and engage closely with the planning process. As part of this, Heathrow Airport Limited has said it will undertake a consultation on its scheme masterplan in June. This will provide an opportunity for interested parties to give their views on the emerging scheme design. Heathrow would then apply for development consent which would be considered by the Planning Inspectorate, before a recommendation is made to government.

Outside of the planning process, the Civil Aviation Authority will continue to work with industry and Heathrow to ensure expansion can be delivered in a timely, financeable and affordable manner that is in the best interests of the consumer.

This government has taken the right decision, endorsed by a large majority of MPs, which had been ducked by other governments for decades. The expansion of Heathrow is vital to our international connectivity and shows confidence in the future prosperity of global Britain. The court’s decision confirms that the right process was followed throughout. We could not be more pleased with the outcome which will benefit people and businesses the length and breadth of the UK for decades to come.

A skipper who was rescued after his boat caught on fire has been praised by HM Coastguard for having all the right equipment and doing all the right things.