GG News Bureau
London, 8th Nov. In his address to the COP27 summit in Egypt on Monday, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that it was time to take action on climate change more rapidly because doing so is the “right thing to do” and that his nation would contribute 11.6 billion pounds to the climate fund.
In his first major speech since taking office at 10 Downing Street, the Indian-origin leader cited green energy investment as a “fantastic source of new jobs and growth,” promising to build on the “room for hope” created during the UK’s presidency of COP26 in Scotland last November.
He also used his speech to pay tribute to COP26 President, Indian-origin former minister Alok Sharma, for “inspiring work” in delivering on last year’s Glasgow climate pact.
“[Russian President] Putin’s abhorrent war in Ukraine and rising energy prices around the world are not reasons to go slow on climate change – they are reasons to go faster,” Sunak said in his brief speech at the Sharm El Sheikh summit.
“Instead of developing countries being unfairly burdened with the carbon debt of richer nations and somehow expected to forgo that same path to growth, we are helping those countries deliver their own fast track to clean growth,” he said.
Sunak cited late Queen Elizabeth II’s speech to the COP26 summit last year, in which she stated that if countries work together, there is “hope” for the climate.
“She reflected how history has shown when nations come together in common cause, there is always room for hope. I believe we found room for hope in Glasgow with one last chance to create a plan that would limit global temperature rises to 1.5 degrees, we made the promises to keep that goal within reach. And the question today is this – can we summon the collective will to deliver them? I believe we can,” he said.
The UK Prime Minister reflected on the fact that 90% of countries have now committed to net zero targets, despite admitting that the pandemic “almost broke” the global economy.
“But I can tell you today the United Kingdom is delivering on our commitment of 11.6 billion pounds, and as part of this we will now triple our funding on adaptation to 1.5 billion pounds by 2025,” he said, adding that he “profoundly” believed it is the right thing to do.
“Listen to Prime Minister Motley of Barbados as she describes the existential threat posed by the ravages of climate change, or look at the devastating floods in Pakistan where the area underwater is the same size as the entire United Kingdom.
“When you see 33 million people displaced, with disease rife and spreading through the water, you know it is morally right to honour our promises. But it is also economically right too. Climate security goes hand-in-hand with energy security,” Sunak said.
Sunak urged nations to keep their promises made in Glasgow and direct public and private funds toward environmental protection, transforming the fight against climate change into a global mission for new jobs and clean growth.
“And we can bequeath to our children a greener planet and a more prosperous future. That’s a legacy we could be proud of. So, as we come together once again in common cause today, there really is room for hope. Together, let us fulfil it,” he noted.
On the sidelines of the summit in Egypt, he held a series of bilateral meetings, including his first in-person interactions with French President Emmannuel Macron and European Commission President Urusula Von Der Leyen.
Comments are closed.