Rishi Sunak’s COP27 speech

Commenting on the speech Rishi Sunak is due to deliver at the COP27 summit on Monday, Greenpeace UK’s head of politics Rebecca Newsom said:

“Rishi Sunak’s opening speech makes the right noises but the hard currency of global climate diplomacy are actions, not words. And the UK government’s actual record is sending a different signal. Not only do the UK’s policies completely fail to match up to its climate targets, but it has also failed to pay more than $300 million promised to support developing countries deal with devastating climate impacts. If Sunak wants the UK to be a global climate leader, he needs to rule out new oil and gas drilling, invest in home insulation, and back the demands of developing nations for a loss and damage finance facility. He should increase taxes on the profits of the fossil fuel giants to help pay for it, alongside giving extra support to households struggling with their bills. This is the only way we can deliver climate justice and build the trust that‘s sorely lacking in international climate talks. People will soon forget what the prime minister said at this summit, but they will long live with the consequences of his actions.”