Almost 31 million tonnes of greenhouse (GHG) gas emissions have been reduced globally in the last nine years as a result of UK International Climate Finance (ICF) investments.

According to new climate finance data published by Defra, that is equivalent to taking 6.7 million cars off the road for a year.

Since 2011, the ICF, which is the governmental vehicle set up to support developing countries to respond to climate challenges, has offered £2.2 billion of finance to fight climate change and helped the installation of 2,000MW of renewable energy capacity, equivalent to the capacity of 454 UK offshore wind turbines.

Figures also suggest the UK aid investment has provided around 33 million people with access to off-grid renewable energy sources, solar lanterns and clean cookstoves.

The fund has also helped around 66 million people to cope with the effects of climate change by providing service, including training on how to grow climate-resilient crops.

COP26 President and Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Alok Sharma, said: “As hosts of COP26, the UK is committed to tackling climate change in a manner which leaves no one behind, especially countries that need urgent support.

“I am proud that our ICF scheme is part of this work, from protecting our precious forests to ensuring developing countries are supported through adaptation and resilience measures and assisted to transition to cleaner, greener energy.”