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"We may have to target our money directly on the trees," he said."We may actually have to plant trees."Discussing his department's priorities in front of the Commons international development committee, Mr Stewart warned MPs it might be the last time he spoke to them. In the longer-term, he said the department may need to reconsider how it allocates its resources - the bulk of which are spent on bilateral programmes in developing countries.Dealing with the climate emergency was key to tackling global poverty, he said, because without it, the number of people below the poverty line would increase by up to 100 million.
Using a Venn diagram to illustrate his argument, he said the overlapping, shared area between environmental and poverty initiatives was"not always a very good place to be".As an example, he said while it might seem sensible to provide rural communities dependent on forestry with alternative sources of employment nearby, such diversification may end up having a marginal economic benefit while taking people away from the land.
During his leadership campaign, Mr Stewart - who worked as a diplomat in Iraq and Afghanistan before entering politics - claimed to have planted 5,000 trees himself. In the worst-case scenario of a no-deal Brexit, he said there could be a £300-£400m annual shortfall in the Overseas Development Assistance budget.
Time to shift it away from the parasitic Windsors.
Get things right at home has to be first priority
The government with their climate bill is going to cost UK taxpayers a fortune, so keep the money in this country and help your own people first. TwitterGov
Humans will always find ways to con their way into pocketing it
Still banging on about what Rory Stewart thinks !? That remoaner boat has also sunk
Emphasis should be placed on preserving established forests, but we should think carefully before redirecting foreign aid away from humans. The planet is greening.
He will be a backbencher soon
How much aid is sent to the UK
How will he manage that from the back benches. Tit !!!
Quite right. And he should know - he is totally on another planet. More taxpayer’s money needs to be invested in extra terrestrials like Rory Stewart.
Using a Venn Diagram? Blimey!
Take food out of the mouths of starving kids and grow shrubs. We'll done RoryStewartUK.