Press releases
1 - 25 of 131 press releases
24 January 2022
Reacting to the speech by COP26 President Alok Sharma looking to the end of the UK's COP Presidency, IIED director Andrew Norton said: “This welcome speech demonstrates that Mr. Sharma understands that the work needed to address climate change and halt global warming did not end with the conclusion of the COP summit in Glasgow. Despite huge distractions, global attention needs to remain focused on putting words into action."
15 December 2021
Gender, climate, care, water, inequality must be addressed to build back better
13 November 2021
Reacting to the outcome of COP26 on the basis of the presidency text, IIED director Andrew Norton said: "With this agreement, climate justice has been partly served. The possibility of limiting global warming to 1.5°C remains alive with the request for countries to further increase ambition in 2022, and with it the chance to save millions of people from the worst impacts of climate change."
10 November 2021
Reacting to the first draft of the COP26 agreement, IIED director Andrew Norton said: “The recognition that developing countries are sinking deeper and deeper into debt to cope with the impacts of climate change is welcome as well as the need for more finance to be grants, not loans.
8 November 2021
Reacting to announcements of more funding for lower-income countries to adapt to climate change, as well as endorsements of the principles for locally-led adaptation, Clare Shakya, director of IIED's Climate Change research group said: “Every pledge that brings us closer to providing US$100bn in climate finance every year for poorer countries is welcome.
3 November 2021
• Economies in danger of debt distress
• Need for debt restructuring or grant based climate budget support
1 November 2021
Reacting to the UK Prime Minster Boris Johnson’s opening address at the COP26 climate talks in Glasgow, IIED director Andrew Norton said: “It was heartening to hear the prime minister lay bare the peril the world faces from climate change and take it seriously, including the need to keep global warming to 1.5°C."
27 October 2021
Reacting to the spending review announced by UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak, IIED director Andrew Norton said: “The chancellor has failed to reassure the international community that he is not planning to effectively make further cuts to UK overseas aid by classifying almost a third of any allocation of Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) from the IMF as part of the aid budget."
26 October 2021
Reacting to the latest UNEP Emissions Gap Report, IIED director Andrew Norton said: “The latest Emissions Gap report makes for grim reading and needs to focus the attention of world leaders ahead of COP26 next week."
26 October 2021
More than two thirds of households blame drought, floods, heatwaves and hailstorms
25 October 2021
Reacting to the announcement of a delivery plan for $100bn in climate finance, IIED director Andrew Norton said: “Today, wealthy countries have gone a long way to fulfil their promise of delivering $100bn in climate finance to the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries – finally putting words into action.
25 October 2021
Reacting to the announcement by Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon of a £6m climate justice fund, including finance to address loss and damage faced by people in lower-income countries, IIED senior fellow Simon Anderson said: “Recognition that land, livelihoods and lives everywhere, but especially in lower-income and climate-vulnerable countries, are already being lost to the effects of climate change, is extremely welcome and a demonstration of Scotland’s emphasis on climate justice"
22 October 2021
Relocating cities, building storm shelters and evacuation plans among measures needed
20 October 2021
Action needed to rebuild trust among delegates and regain momentum on climate change
7 October 2021
Innovative financing could tackle triple crisis
20 September 2021
New evidence from northern Ghana and the Sundarbans outlines critical link
14 September 2021
Aid agencies must fundamentally rethink approach to those displaced for the long-term to urban areas
13 September 2021
UK promises of vaccines and quarantine expenses are not enough. Clarity is urgently needed on virtual participation for delegates.
3 September 2021
Protecting national parks, forests and reserves from environmental degradation will only be possible if more authority is devolved to local communities and other key players at conservation sites, and better governance is built from the bottom up, according to a new paper from IIED
19 August 2021
Reacting to the revised dates of COP15 by host country China and the secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, Dilys Roe, principal researcher at IIED said: “The CBD secretariat and presidency made the right decision. This additional time allows opportunity for a more fair and equitable negotiation and consultation process"
9 August 2021
Reacting to the publication of the sixth Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assessment report, IIED director Andrew Norton said: “This report is the wake-up call the world needs. It shows the goal of keeping global warming to 1.5°C is still within reach, but only just and only if urgent action is agreed in the run up to and at COP26."
14 July 2021
Research finds little evidence of initiatives being led by local communities
13 July 2021
Reacting to the vote in the House of Commons supporting the UK government’s cut to the foreign aid budget, IIED director Andrew Norton said: “It’s deeply disappointing that in this crucial year as the world grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic and the growing climate, environment and poverty emergencies, the UK is choosing to step back from playing a leading international role."
12 July 2021
Reacting to the closure of the G20 finance ministers meeting in Venice, IIED director Andrew Norton said: “The failure of the G20, especially hosts Italy, as well as the US and Australia, to use this weekend’s finance ministers' meeting to announce any new climate finance is hugely disappointing. Not only are they letting down vulnerable countries who are not getting the help they need to address the critical challenges they face, they’re letting down the whole world."
8 July 2021
World Bank, International Monetary Fund, UN and G20 should create new global initiative for climate and nature