Prime Minister Rishi Sunak retracted his decision of not attending the COP27 climate summit in Egypt shortly after Boris Johnson confirmed that he would be going. Last week his official spokesperson claimed that he would be skipping the event due to “other pressing domestic commitments, not least preparations for the autumn Budget”.
Sunak confirmed his decision of attending the event on Twitter. “There is no long-term prosperity without action on climate change. There is no energy security without investing in renewables,” he said. “That is why I will attend [COP27] next week: to deliver on Glasgow's legacy of building a secure and sustainable future.”
The King hosts discussion ahead of COP27
King Charles III hosted a reception to discuss tackling climate change, as global leaders prepare for the UN climate summit COP27.
About 200 politicians and campaigners met at Buckingham Palace, including PM Rishi Sunak, US climate envoy John Kerry and COP President Alok Sharma. The King is internationally known for his climate work but it was agreed he would not go to COP27. The UN conference is being held at Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.
Mr Sunak told the meeting that the UK's global leadership on climate change will continue after its COP presidency ends this week. The UK hosted COP26 in Glasgow last year. "Every moment that we allow climate change to ravage our planet we will see more human suffering," he said. "If we do not act today we will risk leaving an ever more desperate inheritance for our children tomorrow."
The prime minister paid tribute to King Charles's work on climate, saying he had worked for 50 years to find solutions, long before the first UN COP meeting.
World Leaders Launch Forests and Climate Leaders’ Partnership at COP27
On November 7, at the Forest and Climate Leaders’ Summit at COP27, 26 countries and the EU announced a commitment to join the Forest and Climate Leaders’ Partnership to scale up action to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030 while delivering sustainable development and promoting an inclusive rural transformation.
These actions are fundamental to adapting to climate change and have the potential to deliver up to 30% of the emissions reductions needed to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement, while securing global biodiversity, economic prosperity and food supplies.
The launch of the Forests and Climate Leaders’ Partnership (FCLP) follows from the package of announcements at COP26 in Glasgow last year, where over 140 world leaders, representing over 90% of the world’s forests, committed to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030 while delivering sustainable development and promoting an inclusive rural transformation.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said, “For too long the world’s forests have been undervalued and underestimated. They are one of the great natural wonders of our world, and with the loss of our forests accounting for more than 10% of global emissions, protecting them is one of the best ways of getting us back on track to 1.5 degrees.
“That’s why the UK put nature at the heart of COP26, and countries home to 90 per cent of the world’s forests committed not just to halting but reversing forest loss and land degradation by 2030.
“Let’s build on what we have achieved and together secure this incredible legacy for our children and the many generations to come.”
The Prime Minister raised the case of Alaa Abd el-Fattah, stressing the UK Government’s deep concern on this issue. The Prime Minister said he hoped to see this resolved as soon as possible and would continue to press for progress.
Sunak meets Macron
The Prime Minister met France’s President Emmanuel Macron on the sidelines of COP27 in Egypt.
The leaders welcomed the opportunity to meet in person at COP27 and agreed on the importance of continuing to drive climate action forward. They noted opportunities for the UK and France to collaborate further on the transition to clean energy, including on civil nuclear power.
The Prime Minister and President Macron spoke about the ongoing challenge of illegal migration, stressing the urgency of cracking down on criminal smuggling gangs. They committed to continue working together with partners to address the issues in the Channel.
The leaders also discussed the ongoing Russian attacks on Ukraine and the continued importance of maintaining military and economic support for the defence of Ukraine.
They looked forward to working closely together as allies and neighbours to strengthen bilateral ties and address global challenges.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Monday made a dramatic exit from an ongoing session of the COP27 summit by his aides. leaving people confused as to what had happened. A video of the incident was shared by director of UK-based website Carbon Brief - Leo Hickman. “UK prime minister Rishi Sunak has just been rushed out of the room by his aides during the middle of the launch for forests partnership at COP27,” he tweeted. An aide had come onto the stage, according to Hickman, and whispered in Sunak's ear “for more than a minute”, what seemed like a discussion of whether he should be leaving at the moment. At first, the UK Prime Minister did not leave the stage but when another aide came up to him to persuade again, he got out of the chair and left the room. Harry Cole, political editor at The Sun, later shared the video on his Twitter handle and said the Downing Street sources told him that it was “no biggie”, just a late decision. “Downing Street sources insist this was no biggie but a late decision to meet with Germans and South Africans. Despite the imagery...,” Cole said. There was no official statement from Downing Street on the video.
Foreign Secretary at COP27 pledges new support for developing countries to deal with climate change
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said: “The Glasgow Climate Pact gave the world the tools to limit the rise in global temperature to 1.5 degrees and build a secure and sustainable future.
Now is the time for all countries to step up their action on climate change and deliver the tangible change needed.
The UK will continue to play a leading role in this mission. The funding we have announced will support countries which are facing the devastating impact of climate change, to adapt effectively.”
The Foreign Secretary announced that the UK will provide £20.7 million in Disaster Risk Financing to support countries which face climate-related disasters, helping them to afford insurance and to access reliable funding, more quickly, after a disaster.
Sharma warns on fossil fuels as Sunak performs COP27 U-turn
Britain’s climate representative Alok Sharma has questioned whether the government’s pledge to boost North Sea fossil fuel production is in line with hitting its 2050 target of net zero greenhouse gas emissions.
The warning from the president of last year’s COP26 international climate summit in Glasgow, came as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak confirmed he would be attending COP27 conference in Egypt in a sharp reversal of intention.
In a tweet, Sunak said he believed there was “no long-term prosperity without action on climate change”.
Initially, he said he would not have time to fly to the Red Sea resort of Sharm El Sheikh owing to domestic priorities, including the key Autumn Statement in mid-November.
Sharma told the Financial Times that he was delighted that Sunak would be attending the conference. “It will be an opportunity to reinforce the UK’s commitment to international and domestic climate leadership,” he said.
