Ambassador Nasr said the UK was one of the 'leading countries' in pledging overseas aid to help developing nations respond to climate change
The diplomat dodged questions on whether US President Joe Biden or China's President Xi Jinping would attend, but said he hoped they would, since"their cooperation, and their role has always been instrumental in allowing for progress on climate change".
Last year the UK pledged £11.6bn in climate finance over a five-year period. Spending on the pandemic response is estimated to cost at least £310bn. Aid organisations and several MPs are concerned that the aid budget is being squeezed as the UK siphons off some of it to fund the housing of Ukrainian refugees, as opposed to allocating extra funding for the resettlement scheme.
Appearing before a number of parliamentary committees on Tuesday, Mr Sharma said the government should"explain and demonstrate" how new oil and gas exploration is in line with its climate commitments.