LONDON, 21 September 2026 - The UK spends almost seven times more on fossil fuel subsidies in a year than the amount needed to support the education of over 84 million children by 2030, Save the Children said.
The analysis comes ahead of the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) Replenishment Summit this week at the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, where world leaders including Andy Burnham and Ed Miliband are gathering.
In 2024 alone, the UK spent more than £3 billion in fossil fuel producer subsidies, almost seven times more than the £430 million that Save the Children is calling on the UKGovernment to pledge to the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) this week at the UN General Assembly in New York.[1]
The pledge of £430 million would enable Global Partnership for Education to train over one million teachers, allow over 11 million more girls to attend school, and improve the quality of education for over 84 million children by 2030.
Fossil fuel producer subsidies provide financial support that lowers the cost of producing or consuming coal, oil, and natural gas. These measures come in the form of tax breaks, low-interest loans, and other policies that reduce the operating expenses of oil, gas, or coal industries.
Burning fossil fuels for heat, electricity, transportation, and manufacturing and construction is the single-largest contributor to the climate crisis, which is now the biggest threat to children's lives, including their education.
At least one in 10 students globally had their schooling disrupted due to climate-related hazards in 2025, according to the UN.
Last month in Nepal, a deadly flash flood, triggered by a partial glacier collapse due to warming permafrost, disrupted the education of thousands of students, including 13-year-old Roma*, with dozens of schools damaged, destroyed or are being used as shelters.
Roma was at school when word spread that the river was rising. Her father rushed to the school to pick her up and together they headed to safety at a temporary holding centre. Within hours, the flood had swept away her family's home and belongings.
"Everything was taken by the flood," she said quietly. "But we all survived. That is the biggest thing. My school bag and books were buried in the flood. I had hoped to come first in the second term. Now I don't know what will happen. I don't even know whether exams will take place.”
Today, Roma, a Grade 8 student, is living in temporary accommodation with her parents, brother and two sisters while her family begins the long process of recovery.
While humanitarian assistance has helped meet some immediate needs, it is her education that she worries about most.
“I miss school,” she said. “I miss studying and seeing my friends.”
As the climate crisis continues to increase the frequency and severity of these hazards, students will keep being affected directly through school disruptions - and indirectly through lost learning, reduced lifetime earnings, and widening education inequities.
Chanju Mwanza, Senior Education Advocacy Adviser Save the Children UK:
“This replenishment is a credibility test for the new UK Government. After devastating cuts to education funding, a strong UK pledge to Global Partnership for Education would show that its promise of a new approach to global cooperation comes with real investment. They must make scarce resources go further through country-led partnerships that strengthen education systems including against the growing threats of climate change.
The UK is one of the world’s highest historic emitters of greenhouse gasses, and children around the world are paying the price. The climate crisis is disrupting learning for up to 750 million children worldwide, destroying schools, displacing families, and putting education out of reach for so many. Children around the world have made clear that education is a priority. The question now is whether the UK will listen.”
Save the Children UK is calling on the UK Government and world leaders gathering in New York this week for the UNGA, to change course and reinvest in tackling the global learning crisis. This includes pledging at least £430million to fund the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) replenishment, so governments can build stronger, more resilient education systems, so that every child can access their right to education even when disasters strike.
Ahead of COP31, the child rights organisation is calling on the UK Government to protect children’s rights by showing credible climate leadership at home and abroad calling for the urgent phase out of fossil fuels to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and ensure long term sustainable funding of International Climate Finance.
Save the Children works with GPE to help governments across 35 climate-vulnerable countries and territories strengthen school safety, access new climate finance, and build education systems that can withstand increasing floods, storms and extreme weather, helping protect the learning and future of millions of children.
ENDS
References:
[1]Country Data - Fossil Fuel Subsidies, $4.1billion equivalent to £3billion - Currency Converter - Currency Exchange | Xe
Notes to editors:
Global Partnership for Education (GPE) works with governments to build stronger, more resilient, and more inclusive education systems that can deliver quality learning at scale. This includes preparing for and laying the groundwork to respond when crises hit. In Nigeria, we see first-hand the impacts of our GPE projects having partnered with GPE and the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Education to transform schools across the five states most affected by refugee inflow, supporting both refugee and host community students.
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