Prime Minister Andy Burnham has told the Cop31 summit in Turkey that the UK is committed to meeting its 2050 net zero target and to working with other countries to reach theirs.
Speaking on Thursday at the United Nations conference in Antalya, Burnham pledged a “new era of British leadership over the next decade” on the climate, responding to accusations that his Government is deprioritising the green agenda.
Climate crisis ‘upon us all now’
In his address, the Prime Minister warned that the “climate crisis is upon all of us now” after a “not normal” summer of extreme heat, wildfires and drought.
“The climate crisis is not a distant threat; it is upon us all now, devastating lives and livelihoods everywhere,” he said.
“Meanwhile, two wars across two continents have sent fuel prices and gas bills soaring for families and businesses across the world. The common thread running through all of this: our dependence on fossil fuels.”
UK’s commitment to partners
Burnham said the message he carries as UK Prime Minister is that the country is “committed to meeting our 2050 net zero target, and committed to working with all of our partners to reach theirs.”
He is expected to be the only G7 leader to address the summit in the Mediterranean resort city, with US President Donald Trump declining to send a delegation for the second year running.
Burnham was the first speaker at the conference on Thursday, addressing a half-empty plenary hall at the start of the session with Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband and London Mayor Lord Sadiq Khan in the audience.
