The UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak a leader with Kenyan roots has turned down the heightened criticisms from various climate negotiators and leaders saying he will attend the COP27 climate summit in Egypt.
“There is no long-term prosperity without action on climate change. There is no energy security without investing in renewables. That is why I will attend @COP27P next week: to deliver on Glasgow’s legacy of building a secure and sustainable future,” tweeted Sunak.
A Downing Street spokesperson last week, said Sunak wasn’t going to be able to attend the climate summit due to ‘other pressing commitments’ that were inclusive of the preparations for the government’s autumn budget.
Some of the critics have in return applauded the resolution to attend the COP27 by the leader.
Green Party MP and former co-leader of the party Caroline Lucas tweeted: “Glad to see Sunak’s screeching U-turn on #COP27, but what an embarrassing misstep on the world stage. Let this be a lesson to him – climate leadership matters.”
Rachel Kennerley, an international climate campaigner with Friends of the Earth, a network of environmental organizations, said it would have been a “remarkable own goal” to miss the summit.
“The UK government has much to do in rebuilding its climate reputation after rowing back commitments made at COP26 in Glasgow last year. It’s good that he’s seen sense and decided to attend, simply showing up won’t be enough,” Kennerley stated.
COP27 is set to commence on November 6 in the Red Sea resort of Sharm El Sheikh and there is a need for more to be done than said.
The UK Prime Minister Sunak has retracted previous Prime Minister Liz Truss’s decision to lift the ban on fracking.
Last month, a debate on the controversial energy resource had allegedly provoked physical altercations among members of her Conservative Party, a day before she resigned.
Thus, there’s much certainty that Mr. Sunak will be able to not only lead on a way forward to climate action but also can be able to scrap plans for deep coal mining and oil and gas from the North Sea.
