As speculation continues to grow on whether Rishi Sunak will bow to mounting pressure and attend this year’s COP27 climate talks in Egypt after all, Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay, said:
“Despite being pushed into attending, if he does ultimately go to the COP27 climate talks, we should welcome this news. With the UK holding the COP26 presidency, attending to hand the baton on to Egypt is absolutely essential to demonstrate the UK’s commitment to building on last year’s climate talks.
“Rishi Sunak must show global leadership. The UK government must push for real finance for the loss and damage being experienced by poorer countries that are on the front line of climate breakdown. At home there must be urgent action to address both the climate emergency and the cost of living crisis. That should begin with a mass home insulation programme to cut energy bills and carbon emissions and ramping up renewable energy generation. We also need to phase out fossil fuels. More North Sea oil and gas licences [1] takes us in the wrong direction and is the exact opposite of the kind of global leadership needed.
“With the UN warning that there is no credible pathway to keeping temperatures within the 1.5C limit [2], 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. If our government rises to this challenge we can show global leadership and create a better society at the same time.
“Reversing the attacks on nature and restoring the natural environment, funding farmers to manage land for wildlife, good quality and affordable public transport, warmer homes, cheaper energy bills: the policies we need to tackle the climate emergency can create real improvements to people’s everyday lives.”
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