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Spending Review: Aid Budget cut, National Infrastructure Strategy unveiled – Friends of the Earth reaction

news release

Reacting to the Chancellor’s decision today to cut the overseas aid budget to 0.5% of gross national income in 2021, Friends of the Earth’s International climate campaigner, Rachel Kennerley said: 

“The poorest countries must be supported in their efforts to move to clean energy systems and to cope with the impacts of climate breakdown – a crisis they are not responsible for causing. The aid budget is fundamental to making that happen.

“Slashing aid not only fails the world’s least wealthy countries, it also undermines UK leadership ahead of next years’ climate summit in Glasgow, where helping vulnerable countries to deal with the climate emergency will be one of the key priorities.”

Commenting on the government’s national Infrastructure Strategy, unveiled today, Friends of the Earth’s head of policy Mike Childs said: 

“With billions of pounds earmarked for a climate-wrecking road-building programme and inadequate funding for home insulation, eco-heating, buses and cycling this strategy falls woefully short of what’s needed to meet the UK’s legally-binding targets for building a green future. 

“National infrastructure projects should be the cornerstone of the fossil-free economy we need to head off the climate emergency. Ministers must ensure every major development is in line with meeting the net zero target.”

ENDS

For more information on Friends of the Earth contact the press office on 020 7566 1649 / 07718 394786 (out of hours – please do not text this number) or by emailing media@foe.co.uk.  

Notes to editors: 

1. About Friends of the Earth: Friends of the Earth is an international community dedicated to the protection of the natural world and the wellbeing of everyone in it. We bring together more than two million people in 75 countries, combining people power all over the world to transform local actions into global impact. For more information visit: https://friendsoftheearth.uk/ follow us at @friends_earth, or like our Facebook page.

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