A group of Green Party activists

Green Party members have voted to support increasing the UK’s international aid and climate finance to a projected £50bn per year by 2030 to enable the Global South to respond to climate change.

Members backed a motion which said that the the proportion of the UK’s Gross National Income (GNI) spent on aid should be more than tripled from 0.7% to 2.5% by 2030. A significant portion – 1.5% of GNI – of this would be earmarked for climate finance – money to support the Global South to reduce carbon emissions and to adapt to the impacts of climate change.

Speaking on the passing of the motion, Chair of the Greens of Colour Azzees Minott said,

We need to fund planet repairs in a just and equitable way. It is crucial we acknowledge that this global capitalist economy is rooted in the extraction of resources from the Global South and the exploitation and enslavement of their people. Only by recognising this can we begin to build solutions that address ‘climate justice’.

If the UK is serious about its global climate responsibilities it has to stop subsidising fossil fuels and provide necessary resources to those whose lives will be most affected by this climate crisis.”

The decision from the Green Party comes in the run up to the COP26 climate talks in Glasgow, where finance from richer countries to lower-income countries will be a discussed by world leaders.

This article was jointly published with Left Foot Forward.

PS. We hope you enjoyed this article. Bright Green has got big plans for the future to publish many more articles like this. You can help make that happen. Please donate to Bright Green now.

Image credit: Bristol Green Party