PM to launch “major” international climate package to deliver on the UK’s Glasgow legacy at COP27, the Government says.
The British Government says that Sunak will also pledge to speed up the transition to renewables to create new high-wage jobs, protect UK energy security and deliver on net zero.
New announcements include £65.5m for green tech innovation and “significant” clean energy investments with Kenya and Egypt. The Government also says the UK will chair a “high-level” meeting on forests and announce new support for climate-vulnerable countries.
At COP227, Rishi Sunak will reaffirm the UK’s steadfast commitment to supporting countries on the frontline of climate change, the Government says. It continues that the UK will also launch a new Forests and Climate Leaders’ Partnership and confirm more than £150m for protecting rainforests and natural habitats, including the Congo Basin and Amazon.
The Government says the UK will continue to spend £11.6 billion on international climate finance. The Government will commit to tripling funding for climate adaptation as part of that budget, from £500m in 2019 to £1.5bn in 2025.
The Prime Minister will also host an event later today (7 November) to launch the Forests and Climate Leaders’ Partnership. The UK Government says the new group, initially comprising 20 countries, will meet twice yearly to track commitments on the landmark Forests and Land Use declaration at COP26, which aims to halt and reverse forest loss by 2030.
We can bequeath our children a greener planet and a more prosperous future. That’s a legacy we could be proud of.
To support the forest agenda, the UK is committing £90m today for conservation in the Congo Basin, a tropical rainforest which is home to 10,000 species of tropical plants and several endangered species.
The Government says the PM will also confirm £65 million in funding for the Nature, People and Climate Investment Fund, which supports indigenous and local forest communities, and new financing for Treevive, which is working to conserve and restore two million hectares of tropical forest.
The Government says that moving forward it is focused on partnering with the private sector to facilitate green innovation and energy transition, domestically and globally, as well as helping the drive for net zero. It continues that reducing the global demand for oil and gas cuts off the funds for “Russia’s brutal war machine”.
In support of this, the Prime Minister will announce a further £65.5 million for the Clean Energy Innovation Facility, which the Government says provides grants to researchers and scientists in developing countries to accelerate the development of clean technology.
The Government says the PM will hold meetings with fellow world leaders to discuss new partnerships on energy security, green technology and environmental protection, and is expected to announce further funding for conservation in threatened tropical rainforests and support for countries on the frontline of climate change.
We can turn our struggle against climate change into a global mission for new jobs and clean growth.
The UK will also confirm new financial support for Egypt’s flagship COP27 initiative, the “Nexus on Food, Water and Energy”. The Government says the funding will develop projects including solar parks and energy storage innovations.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is expected to tell COP27 later today: “The world came together in Glasgow with one last chance to create a plan that would limit global temperature rises to 1.5 degrees. The question today is: can we summon the collective will to deliver on those promises?
“I believe we can. By honouring the pledges we made in Glasgow, we can turn our struggle against climate change into a global mission for new jobs and clean growth.
“And we can bequeath our children a greener planet and a more prosperous future. That’s a legacy we could be proud of.”
