UK Prime Minister Criticized for Skipping The COP27 Climate Summit

The absence of UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak from the COP27 climate summit next month has been criticized as "a failure of leadership." According to opposition parties and environmental organizations, the government's action demonstrates that it is not treating the climate catastrophe seriously enough.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak Won’t Be Attending the COP27 Climate Summit

According to Downing Street, the PM had "other pressing domestic commitments including preparations for the Autumn Budget." Liz Truss, Mr. Sunak's predecessor, was scheduled to attend the conference. On the other hand, Therese Coffey, the UK's environment secretary, confirmed to the BBC that she and departing COP president Alok Sharma would be there. Furthermore, Ms. Coffey defended Mr. Sunak's choice by stating that this year's conference would focus more on implementation and that "big political moments" tended to occur at the conference every five years, such as the summit in Glasgow last year. She asserted that "protecting the planet is absolutely a priority for the government." "We remain committed to net zero and to leading international and domestic action to tackle climate change. The UK is forging ahead of many other countries on net zero, " she continued. "The UK continues to show global leadership as opposed to just a gathering of people in Egypt." Also, Read- Musk Says Starlink Will Continue Funding Ukraine “For Free”

Reactions from opposition and others

Sir Keir Starmer, the leader of Labour, tweeted: "Britain showing up to work with world leaders is an opportunity to grasp. Not an event to shun." On the other hand, Sir Ed Davey, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, criticized the move saying it "flies in the face of the UK's proud tradition of leading the world in our response to climate change." Caroline Lucas, a member of parliament for the Green Party, branded the decision "a mockery of any government claims on continued climate leadership." Additionally, Greenpeace UK's head of politics, Rebecca Newsom, claimed that Mr. Sunak's action indicates he does not take climate change "seriously enough."

What's more

COP27 will be held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt from November 6 to November 18. It will wrap up the day after UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is scheduled to present the country's tax and spending proposals. For those unaware, the purpose of the yearly UN climate summits is to assist governments in deciding how to keep global temperature increases to a minimum. The COP26 conference, held in Glasgow was hosted by the UK last year and attended by then-PM Boris Johnson. Furthermore, the summit in Egypt is anticipated to concentrate on three key topics - cutting emissions, assisting nations in preparing for and combating climate change, and ensuring technical assistance for developing nations for these endeavors. Also, Read- UK government implements major tax cuts as country inches towards recession On another note, more than 200 governments have been invited to COP27. Putin, the president of Russia, is one of the prominent leaders who is not anticipated to attend. Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden intends to attend, but China's authorities have not yet indicated if they would take part. King Charles won't be attending the summit, Buckingham Palace revealed earlier this month.