The UK government has announced its withdrawal from a $1.15 billion (£870 million) support package for a massive gas project in Mozambique, citing concerns over climate change and terror attacks in the region.
In a move that comes as the project's developer, TotalEnergies, prepares to restart production, the business secretary Peter Kyle said the UK Export Finance (Ukef) had taken the decision after conducting a "comprehensive assessment" of the project. The UK government believes that financing the project will not serve British interests.
The Mozambique support package was agreed upon in 2020 amid criticism from environmental groups and lawmakers who called for an end to funding polluting projects overseas, citing its inconsistency with the UK's climate commitments.
Campaigners have long accused the project of fueling human rights abuses, security risks, and environmental degradation. Islamist insurgents attacked a nearby town in 2021, killing over 800 people. The attack led to concerns about the project's safety and social impact.
Asad Rehman, chief executive of Friends of the Earth, welcomed the decision, saying it highlighted the "huge carbon timebomb" posed by the project. He urged other countries to follow suit in ending their backing for the destructive project and instead supporting countries like Mozambique that are vulnerable to climate change.
Meanwhile, Antoine Bouhey from Reclaim Finance called on leading international banks to withdraw their support for the project, citing its numerous problems and human rights abuses. "They can no longer turn a blind eye to the issues and must immediately withdraw their support," he said.
In a move that comes as the project's developer, TotalEnergies, prepares to restart production, the business secretary Peter Kyle said the UK Export Finance (Ukef) had taken the decision after conducting a "comprehensive assessment" of the project. The UK government believes that financing the project will not serve British interests.
The Mozambique support package was agreed upon in 2020 amid criticism from environmental groups and lawmakers who called for an end to funding polluting projects overseas, citing its inconsistency with the UK's climate commitments.
Campaigners have long accused the project of fueling human rights abuses, security risks, and environmental degradation. Islamist insurgents attacked a nearby town in 2021, killing over 800 people. The attack led to concerns about the project's safety and social impact.
Asad Rehman, chief executive of Friends of the Earth, welcomed the decision, saying it highlighted the "huge carbon timebomb" posed by the project. He urged other countries to follow suit in ending their backing for the destructive project and instead supporting countries like Mozambique that are vulnerable to climate change.
Meanwhile, Antoine Bouhey from Reclaim Finance called on leading international banks to withdraw their support for the project, citing its numerous problems and human rights abuses. "They can no longer turn a blind eye to the issues and must immediately withdraw their support," he said.
and i gotta say, about time someone pulls the plug on that disastrous project in mozambique 
climate change is real and we need to start taking responsibility for our actions. its crazy that a country like the uk would consider financing a project that could have such devastating consequences 
meanwhile, ppl are still suffering from the attack in 2021 & now there's a risk of the project restarting without proper safety measures. not good for anyone involved! 
anywayz this newz about Mozambique gas project is pretty interesting i think its good that uk gov withdrew its funding cuz like, 800 people died in a terror attack last year thats crazy 
but at the same time im sure there are alot of ppl who lost their jobs cuz of this withdrawal and idk what's the plan for them 
Also, huge props to the UK gov for listening to environmental groups & campaigners - those people have been shouting from the rooftops about this project's issues... now let's see other countries follow suit and prioritize climate action 
I'm literally living for this, it's like the world is finally catching on! 
All those environmental groups and lawmakers were right all along, and now it's about time someone did something about it 
. Asad Rehman is low-key a hero, saying that project was a "huge carbon timebomb" 