The United Kingdom allocated about £800 million in climate aid for nature protection and restoration last year, setting a new record. According to an analysis of government data, the country is on track to meet its five-year commitment to allocate £3 billion in nature funds to developing countries by 2026.
Most of the funding, some £153.9 million, has been used to support carbon offset projects. These programmes, whilst viewed with scepticism by some for their effectiveness and regulation, represent one of the largest donations ever made by the UK to a single “nature and forests” project.
This investment is part of a larger UK commitment of £11.6 billion in total climate funding. Analysis shows that, with last year’s spending, the cumulative total for nature reached £2.3 billion, leaving about £685 million to be spent in the last year to meet the target. The funds went to a variety of initiatives, from protecting forests in the Amazon and Congo Basin to sustainable agriculture projects in Africa and funds to protect 30 per cent of the planet’s land and seas.
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