Owen Paterson has been accused of "incredible complacency" over climate change after new figures showed his department has slashed spending on helping Britain cope with global warming.

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) will spend just £17.2m on domestic "climate change initiatives" this financial year, a 41 per cent decline on the previous 12 months, according to its response to a freedom of information request.

The figures will fuel fears that the Environment Secretary's personal climate-change scepticism could be exposing the UK to a higher risk of flooding and other global warming consequences.

Download the new Independent Premium app Sharing the full story, not just the headlines

Bob Ward, policy director at the London School of Economics' Grantham Research Institute, said: "These shocking figures should worry everyone in the UK. Defra is the lead government department for climate change adaptation and is primarily responsible for making the UK resilient to the impacts of global warming, such as increased flood risk,"

Maria Eagle, shadow Environment Secretary, said such a steep drop in domestic climate change initiatives "reveals an incredible level of complacency about the threat to the UK from climate change".

She added: "This is further evidence that Owen Paterson's unwillingness to accept the science on climate change is leading him to make the wrong choices on spending cuts within his department."

Lest we forget: see the damage that flooding can do

Shape Created with Sketch. In Pictures: 2014 Winter floods Show all 60 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. In Pictures: 2014 Winter floods 1/60 Floods in Surrey Thorpe Park in Surrey sits in flood water 2/60 Floods in Surrey Flood water at Walton-on-Thames, Surrey 3/60 Floods in Surrey Flood water surrounds the M3 motorway near to Chertsey, Surrey, as Royal Engineers were now being tasked to carry out a high-speed assessment of damage to the UK's flood defence infrastructure 4/60 Floods in Chertsey Tom Poulter surveys the damage in his flooded garden which backs on to the Thames in Chertsey 5/60 Floods in Chertsey Tom Poulter wades across his flooded garden to his house in Chertsey 6/60 Floods in Chertsey Laleham Reach resident of 20 years Tom Poulter wades across his flooded garden to his house in Chertsey 7/60 Floods in Chertsey Carol Murdoch assesses the damage to her flooded shed in Chertsey 8/60 Floods in Chertsey Laleham Reach resident Steve Rastall returns home with supplies of shopping and logs for the fire in Chertsey 9/60 Floods in Hurley A woman uses a dinghy to transport her children from their property, which is situated adjacent to the river Thames and surrounded by flood water in Hurley 10/60 Floods in Hurley The pavilion of Hurley Cricket Club, which is situated near to the river Thames, is surrounded by flood water in Hurley 11/60 Floods in Staines-Upon-Thames Flood water surrounds housing in Staines-Upon-Thames, England Getty Images 12/60 Floods in Wargrave A large house near the River Thames is surrounded by flood water in Wargrave Getty Images 13/60 Floods in Worcester Floodwater in the town of Worcester in western England Getty Images 14/60 Floods in Wraysbury Nigel Gray leaves his home in a rowing boat after the river Thames flooded the village of Wraysbury 15/60 Floods in Wraysbury The front gate to a house is seen surrounded by water after the river Thames flooded the village of Wraysbury 16/60 Floods in Wraysbury A resident wearing homemade waders carries a dog through floodwater as residents begin to evacuate homes in Wraysbury 17/60 Floods in Datchet Residents carry sandbags through flood water to protect their homes as flood water continues to rise after the river Thames burst it's banks in Datchet 18/60 Floods in Datchet Locals look at flooded railway lines after river Thames burst it's banks in Datchet 19/60 Floods in Datchet A man brings a family member home on a boat after flood water continues to rise after the river Thames burst it's banks in Datchet 20/60 Floods in Datchet A youth cycles through flood water after the river Thames burst it's banks on February in Datchet 21/60 Floods in Somerset Nigel Farage wades in water as he visits a flooded property at Burrowbridge on the Somerset Levels near Bridgwater 22/60 Floods in Moorlands A general view of an owners home that has been affected by flooding in Moorlands 23/60 Floods in Burrowbridge Flood waters engulf a house with a wall of sandbags around it in Burrowbridge 24/60 Floods in Somerset A car sits in flood water on a flooded property at Burrowbridge on the Somerset Levels near Bridgwater 25/60 Floods in Burrowbridge Devon and Somerset Fire and rescue service evacuate two women and two cats in baskets through flood waters in Burrowbridge 26/60 Floods in Moorland A graveyard is seen underwater in the village of Moorland 27/60 Floods in Moorland A graveyard is seen underwater in the village of Moorland 28/60 Flooding near Bury A train heads to Pulborough over the Arun flood plain near Bury, England 29/60 Flooding in Twickenham A car is submerged in flood water from the River Thames in Twickenham, south London 30/60 Flooding in Twickenham Flood water from the River Thames covers roads in Twickenham, south London 31/60 Flooding Bristol A cyclist struggles through flood water in Bristol 32/60 Flooding in Bristol River defence barriers are put in place in Bristol after flooding from the River Avon 33/60 Floods in Somerset A car drives through flood water on the Somerset Levels near Langport in Somerset 34/60 Floods in Somerset Flood water collects in an allotment site near Langport in Somerset 35/60 Floods in Somerset Flooded fields surround the River Tone that has burst its banks viewed from Windmill Hill, in Stoke-St-Gregory near Langport in Somerset 36/60 Floods in Somerset Trees are reflected in flood waters on the Somerset Levels near Langport in Somerset 37/60 Floods in Somerset Farmer Roger Forgan uses a boat to cross farm land in front of his flooded farm which has been cut off by flood waters at Muchelney near Langport in Somerset 38/60 Floods in Somerset A man walks beside the River Tone seen from Windmill Hill, Somerset, as flooding persists on the levels 39/60 Floods in Somerset Flooded fields around the River Tone seen from Windmill Hill, Somerset 40/60 Floods in Somerset An electricity survey helicopter flies over flooded farmland surrounding Burrowbridge in Somerset 41/60 Floods in Somerset Flooded farmland surrounding Burrowbridge in Somerset 42/60 Floods in East Sussex Anne Bourmer wades through flood water outside her home in Hooe, East Sussex, as more heavy rain sweeps across the country 43/60 Floods in Somerset Flood water is pumped into the River Parrott by the Environment Agency in Moorland in Somerset 44/60 Floods in Somerset A flood sign is seen in flood waters surrounding farm buildings in Somerset 45/60 Floods in Somerset Debris washed up by flood water is seen at James Winslade's farm in Moorland in Somerset 46/60 Floods in Somerset Farmer James Winslade stands in front of bales of animal feed as he surveys some of his 790 acres of flooded land at his farm in Moorland in Somerset, England 47/60 Floods in Somerset Flood water surrounds a house in the village of Thorney in Somerset 48/60 Floods in Somerset A car is seen submerged on the side of a flooded road leading into the cut-off village of Muchelney in Somerset. A local council declared a major incident on the flood-hit Somerset Levels where some villages like Muchelney have been cut off for weeks by flooding that has submerged roads and thousands of acres of farmland in the area of southwestern England 49/60 Floods in Somerset A policeman on a boat looks at a car submerged on the side of a flooded road leading into the cut-off village of Muchelney in Somerset 50/60 Floods in Somerset The village of Muchelney is seen beyond flood water in Somerset 51/60 Floods in Somerset Residents disembark a boat after being transported from the cut-off village of Muchelney in Somerset on 27 January. A new plan to deal with a flood-hit area of south-west England will be drawn up within six weeks, Environment Secretary Owen Paterson announced as he was confronted by angry residents 52/60 Floods in Somerset Pipes pump flood water into a river in Burrow Bridge, flood-hit Somerset on 27 January. A local council last week declared a major incident on the flooded Somerset Levels where some villages have been cut off for weeks by water that has submerged roads and thousands of acres of farmland 53/60 Floods in Somerset Cattle feed in a barn in front of a flooded farm yard in the village of Thorney along the road to Muchelney on 24 January 54/60 Floods in Somerset Workers from Pontoonworks build a pontoon along the road leading to the village of Muchelney to help villagers board a boat which has been used for transport along flooded roads on 24 January 55/60 Floods in Kent Resident Jeff Hopcroft looks out from his flooded house on January 2, 2014 in Yalding, England 56/60 Floods in Kent A resident measures the level of flood water outside his home in Yalding 57/60 Floods in Kent A couple in a canoe travel across the flood water near Yalding 58/60 Floods in Surrey Flood water from the River Mole rises after recent heavy rain in Leatherhead, England 59/60 Floods in Kent A resident walks through the Little Venice Caravan Park in Yalding, Kent, as flood waters return to the site after recent bad weather 60/60 Flooding in Kent Residents Ian Peacock and Caroline Hine leave the Little Venice Caravan Park in a boat after the heavy rains brought back the floods in the area 1/60 Floods in Surrey Thorpe Park in Surrey sits in flood water 2/60 Floods in Surrey Flood water at Walton-on-Thames, Surrey 3/60 Floods in Surrey Flood water surrounds the M3 motorway near to Chertsey, Surrey, as Royal Engineers were now being tasked to carry out a high-speed assessment of damage to the UK's flood defence infrastructure 4/60 Floods in Chertsey Tom Poulter surveys the damage in his flooded garden which backs on to the Thames in Chertsey 5/60 Floods in Chertsey Tom Poulter wades across his flooded garden to his house in Chertsey 6/60 Floods in Chertsey Laleham Reach resident of 20 years Tom Poulter wades across his flooded garden to his house in Chertsey 7/60 Floods in Chertsey Carol Murdoch assesses the damage to her flooded shed in Chertsey 8/60 Floods in Chertsey Laleham Reach resident Steve Rastall returns home with supplies of shopping and logs for the fire in Chertsey 9/60 Floods in Hurley A woman uses a dinghy to transport her children from their property, which is situated adjacent to the river Thames and surrounded by flood water in Hurley 10/60 Floods in Hurley The pavilion of Hurley Cricket Club, which is situated near to the river Thames, is surrounded by flood water in Hurley 11/60 Floods in Staines-Upon-Thames Flood water surrounds housing in Staines-Upon-Thames, England Getty Images 12/60 Floods in Wargrave A large house near the River Thames is surrounded by flood water in Wargrave Getty Images 13/60 Floods in Worcester Floodwater in the town of Worcester in western England Getty Images 14/60 Floods in Wraysbury Nigel Gray leaves his home in a rowing boat after the river Thames flooded the village of Wraysbury 15/60 Floods in Wraysbury The front gate to a house is seen surrounded by water after the river Thames flooded the village of Wraysbury 16/60 Floods in Wraysbury A resident wearing homemade waders carries a dog through floodwater as residents begin to evacuate homes in Wraysbury 17/60 Floods in Datchet Residents carry sandbags through flood water to protect their homes as flood water continues to rise after the river Thames burst it's banks in Datchet 18/60 Floods in Datchet Locals look at flooded railway lines after river Thames burst it's banks in Datchet 19/60 Floods in Datchet A man brings a family member home on a boat after flood water continues to rise after the river Thames burst it's banks in Datchet 20/60 Floods in Datchet A youth cycles through flood water after the river Thames burst it's banks on February in Datchet 21/60 Floods in Somerset Nigel Farage wades in water as he visits a flooded property at Burrowbridge on the Somerset Levels near Bridgwater 22/60 Floods in Moorlands A general view of an owners home that has been affected by flooding in Moorlands 23/60 Floods in Burrowbridge Flood waters engulf a house with a wall of sandbags around it in Burrowbridge 24/60 Floods in Somerset A car sits in flood water on a flooded property at Burrowbridge on the Somerset Levels near Bridgwater 25/60 Floods in Burrowbridge Devon and Somerset Fire and rescue service evacuate two women and two cats in baskets through flood waters in Burrowbridge 26/60 Floods in Moorland A graveyard is seen underwater in the village of Moorland 27/60 Floods in Moorland A graveyard is seen underwater in the village of Moorland 28/60 Flooding near Bury A train heads to Pulborough over the Arun flood plain near Bury, England 29/60 Flooding in Twickenham A car is submerged in flood water from the River Thames in Twickenham, south London 30/60 Flooding in Twickenham Flood water from the River Thames covers roads in Twickenham, south London 31/60 Flooding Bristol A cyclist struggles through flood water in Bristol 32/60 Flooding in Bristol River defence barriers are put in place in Bristol after flooding from the River Avon 33/60 Floods in Somerset A car drives through flood water on the Somerset Levels near Langport in Somerset 34/60 Floods in Somerset Flood water collects in an allotment site near Langport in Somerset 35/60 Floods in Somerset Flooded fields surround the River Tone that has burst its banks viewed from Windmill Hill, in Stoke-St-Gregory near Langport in Somerset 36/60 Floods in Somerset Trees are reflected in flood waters on the Somerset Levels near Langport in Somerset 37/60 Floods in Somerset Farmer Roger Forgan uses a boat to cross farm land in front of his flooded farm which has been cut off by flood waters at Muchelney near Langport in Somerset 38/60 Floods in Somerset A man walks beside the River Tone seen from Windmill Hill, Somerset, as flooding persists on the levels 39/60 Floods in Somerset Flooded fields around the River Tone seen from Windmill Hill, Somerset 40/60 Floods in Somerset An electricity survey helicopter flies over flooded farmland surrounding Burrowbridge in Somerset 41/60 Floods in Somerset Flooded farmland surrounding Burrowbridge in Somerset 42/60 Floods in East Sussex Anne Bourmer wades through flood water outside her home in Hooe, East Sussex, as more heavy rain sweeps across the country 43/60 Floods in Somerset Flood water is pumped into the River Parrott by the Environment Agency in Moorland in Somerset 44/60 Floods in Somerset A flood sign is seen in flood waters surrounding farm buildings in Somerset 45/60 Floods in Somerset Debris washed up by flood water is seen at James Winslade's farm in Moorland in Somerset 46/60 Floods in Somerset Farmer James Winslade stands in front of bales of animal feed as he surveys some of his 790 acres of flooded land at his farm in Moorland in Somerset, England 47/60 Floods in Somerset Flood water surrounds a house in the village of Thorney in Somerset 48/60 Floods in Somerset A car is seen submerged on the side of a flooded road leading into the cut-off village of Muchelney in Somerset. A local council declared a major incident on the flood-hit Somerset Levels where some villages like Muchelney have been cut off for weeks by flooding that has submerged roads and thousands of acres of farmland in the area of southwestern England 49/60 Floods in Somerset A policeman on a boat looks at a car submerged on the side of a flooded road leading into the cut-off village of Muchelney in Somerset 50/60 Floods in Somerset The village of Muchelney is seen beyond flood water in Somerset 51/60 Floods in Somerset Residents disembark a boat after being transported from the cut-off village of Muchelney in Somerset on 27 January. A new plan to deal with a flood-hit area of south-west England will be drawn up within six weeks, Environment Secretary Owen Paterson announced as he was confronted by angry residents 52/60 Floods in Somerset Pipes pump flood water into a river in Burrow Bridge, flood-hit Somerset on 27 January. A local council last week declared a major incident on the flooded Somerset Levels where some villages have been cut off for weeks by water that has submerged roads and thousands of acres of farmland 53/60 Floods in Somerset Cattle feed in a barn in front of a flooded farm yard in the village of Thorney along the road to Muchelney on 24 January 54/60 Floods in Somerset Workers from Pontoonworks build a pontoon along the road leading to the village of Muchelney to help villagers board a boat which has been used for transport along flooded roads on 24 January 55/60 Floods in Kent Resident Jeff Hopcroft looks out from his flooded house on January 2, 2014 in Yalding, England 56/60 Floods in Kent A resident measures the level of flood water outside his home in Yalding 57/60 Floods in Kent A couple in a canoe travel across the flood water near Yalding 58/60 Floods in Surrey Flood water from the River Mole rises after recent heavy rain in Leatherhead, England 59/60 Floods in Kent A resident walks through the Little Venice Caravan Park in Yalding, Kent, as flood waters return to the site after recent bad weather 60/60 Flooding in Kent Residents Ian Peacock and Caroline Hine leave the Little Venice Caravan Park in a boat after the heavy rains brought back the floods in the area

Most of the money has been spent helping Britain adapt to cope with the effects of global warming, such as by investing in research projects and giving advice on how to deal with water shortages, soil erosion, and extreme weather.

The rest is being spent on curbing the extent of climate change, for example by monitoring and capturing methane emissions which contribute to global warming and ensuring carbon emissions from agriculture comply with UN and EU regulations.

The dramatic cut in domestic climate change spending comes in Mr Paterson's first full-year as Environment Secretary - he took up the post in September 2012 . The spending now represents just 0.7 per cent of the department's total budget for the year, down from 1.2 per cent last year.

Defra is in charge of preparing, or adapting, Britain for global warming, while the Department for Energy and Climate Change is responsible for mitigating the risks.

Inside Politics newsletter The latest news on Brexit, politics and beyond direct to your inbox Enter your email address Continue Continue Please enter an email address Email address is invalid Fill out this field Email address is invalid Email already exists. Log in to update your newsletter preferences Register with your social account or click here to log in I would like to receive updates on politics every morning by email Update newsletter preferences

One source who worked with the Environment Secretary said: "Adapting to climate change in itself is not a priority for Owen Paterson. He doesn't believe that floods have anything to do with climate change, so he calls the biggest aspect of adaptation 'flood management'. When you talk to him, you don't use words like 'adaptation' - instead you talk about the economic impacts and opportunities and present it as a market solution."

This month, Mr Paterson was asked in Parliament whether he agreed with David Cameron's "suspicion" that climate change was partly to blame for the ferocity of the recent storms - and he failed to answer.

Guy Shrubsole, a Friends of the Earth campaigner, said: "By cutting Defra's work to protect the UK from climate change and extreme weather events, Owen Paterson has shown that he's unfit for office. He continues to put more people and their livelihoods at risk."

The freedom of information figures obtained from Defra only relate to spending where the primary aim is to tackle climate change, so exclude some investments which could indirectly help Britain deal with global warming.

A Defra spokesman said: "Defra funds programmes that help protect international forests, cut greenhouse gas emissions and help the UK adapt to a changing climate."

Defra's decreased domestic spending came as its spending overseas increased, from £20.1m last year to £30m this year - almost the same amount as the decline in domestic spending.

But much of this increase can be put down to an agreement before Mr Paterson took over the department in September 2012, following the UN Climate Change Conference in Cancun in 2010. This requires Defra to give £140m to the International Climate Fund, which helps the world’s poorest adapt to climate change, between April 2011 and March 2016 – primarily through forest protection.

Watch Owen Paterson discuss long-term flood plans