Former UN secretary-general, Ban Ki-Moon, has called on the UK Government to stop funding fossil fuel projects across the world.
In a rare criticism of an individual country’s conduct, he described the billions of pounds granted to high-carbon oil and gas projects as a key test of Theresa May’s commitment to the Paris Agreement.
In a comment piece for the Guardian, he welcomed the UK’s progress towards decarbonisation at home but stressed the need to reduce our impact overseas. UK Export Finance provided over £4.8bn to fossil fuel projects from 2010-16, just a fraction below its contribution to the International Climate Fund.