Foreign Office climate staff cut by 25% under Boris Johnson
Good to see in the context of the FO’s work we’re keeping an eye on the climate change “ball” so important to the future of rural communities…..
The number of full-time officials dedicated to climate change in the Foreign Office has dropped by almost 25% in the two years since Boris Johnson became foreign secretary, according to data released under freedom of information (FoI) rules.
Johnson has also failed to mention climate change in any official speech since he took the office, in marked contrast to his two predecessors.
The cutback in climate change diplomacy has come despite the prime minister, Theresa May, asserting that the UK leads the world on climate action. The UK has been praised for its past climate diplomacy, which helped pave the way to the landmark Paris agreement.
“It is extremely disappointing,” said Prof Sir David King, who was the foreign secretary’s special envoy for climate change from September 2013 until March 2017.