The Bishop of Exeter received the following written answer on 25th November 2021:
The Lord Bishop of Exeter asked Her Majesty’s Government:
- what assessment they have made of rising sea levels on the Solomon Islands.
- how much financial support they provided to the Solomon Islands in (1) 2016, (2) 2017, (3) 2018, (4) 2019, and (5) 2020.
- what support they have offered to the Solomon Islands to mitigate risks from rising sea levels.
Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Con): Pacific Island Countries such as the Solomon Islands are among the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. The UK provides a range of support across the Pacific to finance adaptation in order to increase resilience to climate change. Overall funding to the Pacific, including to the Solomon Islands, has grown. The UK supported the Solomon Islands with bilateral ODA of £112,000 in 2016; £251,000 in 2017; £896,000 in 2018; £796,000 in 2019 and £896,000 in 2020.
The consequences of the impact of sea level rise on maritime boundaries is of significant interest to the United Kingdom. We recognise the particular concerns of the Pacific Island Countries with respect to the stability of their maritime boundaries. As such, we are considering the Pacific Islands Forum’s Declaration on this issue carefully and engaging with a range of international partners on this topic. The UK Government has signed an agreement with the Pacific Community (SPC) for £263,000 (US$359,000) that will help the Solomon Islands and other Pacific nations secure the rights and responsibilities over their respective ocean spaces by providing technical assistance to establish the outer limits of their extended continental shelves.
The Church of England in Parliament 
You must be logged in to post a comment.