Climate change: UK to end aid for fossil fuel projects abroad

As the UK hosts a key climate summit, the government has announced that it will end direct support for overseas fossil fuel projects.The move means the UK will no longer provide export finance or aid funding for oil, gas or coal projects.The statement comes as the UK, France and the UN host a virtual climate meeting later today.Around 75 world leaders will attend, marking five years since the adoption of the Paris climate agreement.EU leaders raise target for emissions cut to 55%Covid drives record emissions drop in 2020Have countries kept their climate change promises?The UK government's practice of supporting overseas fossil fuel projects through export finance, aid funding and trade promotion has long been controversial.As the UK moved away from coal, oil and gas at home it was seen as hypocritical to be financing these projects abroad.Now the Prime Minister has agreed to end this practice as soon as possible."Climate change is one of the great global challenges of our age, and it is already costing lives and livelihoods the world over, our actions as leaders must be driven not by timidity or caution, but by ambition on a truly grand scale," Boris Johnson said.