Platform for Redesign 2020: opening address

Thank you to Minister Koizumi and the Government of Japan for organising this Platform.

To tackle the climate crisis, governments around the world must come together, as we are doing today.

To learn. To unite behind common causes. And to encourage each other to make the most of the opportunities ahead.

We all know that the coronavirus pandemic has caused terrible harm – both human and economic.

But the recovery is a chance for all of us to build back better. To create clean jobs. And to place green growth at the heart of our economies.

That is what we are doing here in the UK.

Since March, we have put the equivalent of 450 million US Dollars into cutting emissions in heavy industry.

And almost US$1.3 billion driving the move to low-emissions vehicles.

We are confident in this approach to our recovery because we know it works.

Over the past 30 years we have grown our economy by 75% whilst cutting emissions by 43%.

Creating thousands of jobs in new industries in the process.

Our offshore wind capacity is now the largest in the world.

Employing thousands of people directly, and through supply chains.

And the price of offshore wind energy has fallen by two-thirds between 2015 and 2019.

Renewables are now cheaper than new coal and gas power plants in 2 thirds of countries.

As a result, we can say with confidence that the UK will meet its ambition to phase out coal power by 2024.

And from April to June this year we went 67 days without coal.

There are immense opportunities for those developing the technologies the world needs to move to its low-carbon future.

For example, Europe’s electric vehicle market grew by almost 50% between 2018 and 2019.

And, globally, renewables are expected to attract 77% of all investment in electricity systems between now and 2050 – worth around US$10 trillion.

There has never been a better time to invest in the green economy. Or a more important time.

To limit warming to 1.5 degrees, we need to halve global emissions over the next decade.

But we are not currently on track to do so.

People are suffering now as a result of our changing climate. And the window of time we have to act is closing fast.

As incoming COP26 President, the UK believes in bringing together countries across the world, to make progress faster.

We all need to focus on critical areas: clean energy, clean transport, nature-based solutions, adaptation and resilience, and finance.

We need all countries to submit more ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions, driving further cuts in carbon emissions by 2030.

And we need all nations to commit to reaching net zero emissions as soon as possible. As we have done in the UK – we will be net zero by 2050.

Ladies and gentlemen. We are at a critical moment for the world’s climate.

To limit temperature rises, we must take this chance and unite behind a clean, resilient global recovery.