Media centre
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Latest press releases
25 January 2021
Climate emergency threatens to push 130 million people into extreme poverty by 2030, yet local people are often left out of decisions and funding; momentum emerges to shift status quo
12 December 2020
On the fifth anniversary of the Paris Agreement and ahead of the Climate Action Summit, IIED director Andrew Norton said: “This is an important moment to take stock and recognise the Paris Agreement can work.
30 November 2020
Ahead of the World Trade Organization’s final talks on fisheries subsidies, IIED director Andrew Norton said: “It is crucial the World Trade Organization ends harmful fisheries subsidies once and for all. This is key to stopping overfishing, protecting the climate and tackling poverty.
25 November 2020
In response to the government’s decision to cut the UK's annual aid budget, IIED director Andrew Norton said: “By slashing the UK’s aid budget, the government is deeply damaging its fight against the climate crisis and nature loss, while jeopardising the lives and livelihoods of millions of women, children and men living in the most vulnerable countries."
21 November 2020
In a statement on the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Saudi Arabia, IIED director Andrew Norton said: “G20 leaders need to agree an economic recovery plan that is green and provides the support that billions of people living in poverty around the world need."
5 October 2020
A complex set of international legal measures protecting the fossil fuel industry risks significantly increasing the cost of moving to green energy and tackling climate change, a new report released today reveals.
30 September 2020
In a statement on the United Nations Summit on Biodiversity, Andrew Norton, director of IIED, said: "This summit and the Leaders’ Pledge for Nature are clear signs that governments acknowledge the scale of the crisis facing the natural world and the urgent need for substantial action.
Media mentions
IIED director Andrew Norton states "Cuts to the overseas aid budget risk not only undermining the UK's reputation for progressive development action, but also the chances of the UK presidency delivering a successful outcome to COP26. The aid cuts undermine the UK's ability to ask other countries to step up, as well as reducing the resources available for climate action in poorer countries." Andrew is quoted in an article reporting on the Climate and Development Summit hosted by the UK Government.
Ministerial meeting aims to give developing nations suffering the worst impacts of global warming an opportunity to help set the global political agenda on issues like climate finance. But IIED director of climate change research Clare Shakya said, "Britain's aid reduction would undermine its credibility in encouraging other wealthy nations to step up funding for climate action. In the middle of a pandemic, to have health or education services under threat because of one donor suddenly disappearing can throw overall progress off track. It's incredible that (the UK) could think that isn't a problem."
With 2021 being known as a ‘Super Year For Nature’ due to the landmark COPs taking place, IIED senior researcher, Ebony Holland, says that if you add in; “the World Bank and International Monetary Fund annual meetings, the IUCN World Conservation Congress, the UN Food Systems Summit and an array of global North and global South conferences and workshops - 2021 is big." The post-COVID 19 recovery process could provide a unique opportunity to pave the way to a better future that places climate, nature and people at the centre.
As the Covid-19 pandemic increases government debt, “debt swaps” are drawing attention to help developing nations achieve a green recovery. In September 2020, IIED provided one of the first proposals on using debt swaps to address debt, climate and nature loss in the post-Covid era.
Eight of the world’s 46 poorest countries submitted stronger climate action plans by 31 Dec and a further 11 are expected to do the same soon, despite challenges caused by the pandemic and technical and financial barriers, IIED’s Anna Schulz, head of the global climate law, policy and governance programme said.