2 November 2022
Commenting on the U-turn by Rishi Sunak, who now plans to attend the COP27 climate summit in Egypt, Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer said:
“This is a welcome U-turn brought about by public pressure, though it is perhaps understandable the prime minister might be nervous about showing his face.
“During the UK’s presidency of COP26 the Tory government has introduced new North Sea oil and gas licences, kept the possibility of a new coal mine in Cumbria alive and continued to roll out airport and road expansion. And Sunak himself has removed his climate minister from cabinet and wants to block onshore wind [1].
“Global leadership must begin at home and we need to see a clear commitment from this government to keep fossil fuels in the ground. This means ditching oil, coal and gas for good in favour of renewables and a nationwide programme of home insulation to cut both emissions and energy bills.
“Sunak also needs to show he is willing to act on the global stage by putting ‘loss and damage’ and finance for poorer countries most impacted by the climate emergency at the top of the agenda. Regrettably, he will arrive in Egypt under a cloud, with the UK having failed to make a promised £260 million climate finance payment [2].
“With the UN warning that there is no credible pathway to keeping temperatures within the 1.5C limit [3], this year’s COP negotiations are more important than ever. The UN says that only an urgent transformation of society and our economy can avoid disastrous climate impacts. We need the UK government to rise to this challenge, show global leadership and help create a more secure and sustainable society and economy at home and abroad.”
Notes
1
Rishi Sunak U-turns on Truss’s onshore wind planning reforms | The Independent
2
UK criticised for failing to pay $300m in promised climate funds ahead of Cop27 | The Guardian
3
Climate crisis: UN finds ‘no credible pathway to 1.5C in place’ | The Guardian
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