Feryal Clark MP calls on Government to deliver meaningful change at COP26
Today sees the start of COP26 in Glasgow, an opportunity not only to turn the tide on climate change, but for the UK to play a real leadership role, bringing the international community to a productive, and untied position.
The decisions that are made and plans that are set this week are critical for our planet and could make or break the fight against climate change, and I want to thank the many Enfield North constituents who have been in touch with me to share their views ahead of COP26.
Whether it be on protecting grasslands, investing in green energy, or improving the quality of air, I agree whole heartedly with the concerns raised by my constituents, and will closely monitor the progress made on these during the summit.
The summit’s overriding objective must be to put the world decisively on course to deliver on the ambition of the Paris Agreement and keep the hope of limiting global heating to 1.5C within reach – to keep 1.5C alive.
The UK’s credibility in the role of COP President rests on the example we set at home, and the Government have consistently shown a frustrating lack of ambition.
Not only is the UK way off track to meet our legally binding net-zero target, but we are also not even on track to meet the less ambitious one that preceded it.
Decarbonisation plans have been delayed or have missed the mark and the government’s own Climate Change Committee (CCC) has given them less than 4 out of 10 for delivery.
Alongside the long-term goal of net zero, we cannot lose focus on the need for enhanced interim targets and the concrete plans necessary to meet them.
As hosts of COP26, the UK should be setting the pace in greening post-pandemic economies.
Instead, other major economies have raced ahead with ambitious green stimulus packages.
While President Biden is pressing on with a $1 trillion green infrastructure plan and Germany and France are pouring tens of billions of euros into low-carbon initiatives, the Government’s 10-Point Plan entailed just £4 billion of new funding, £1 billion of which was then scrapped alongside its disastrous Green Homes Grant scheme.
It doesn’t come close to matching the scale of the jobs crisis or the climate emergency we face, and it is undermining the credibility of our COP Presidency.
That is why Labour has called for the Government to get its own house in order by bringing forward £30 billion in planned capital investment over 18 months as part of a green recovery stimulus package to support up to 400,000 new, clean jobs in manufacturing and other key sectors.
It’s also why we have called for a Net Zero and Nature Test to align all public spending and infrastructure decisions with our climate commitments.
The world is currently not on track to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. The latest UN analysis indicates that current climate pledges will only achieve emissions reductions of 1% by the end of this critical decade, not the 45% required to stay below 1.5C.
The Government must strain every sinew to keep the possibility of limiting global heating to 1.5 degrees alive and should ensure that 1.5C is clearly enshrined as the international goal of the COP process following the summit.
As we look ahead to what I hope will be a productive few weeks in Glasgow, I can assure people in Enfield North that I will do all I can throughout COP26 and beyond to hold the Government to account, and fight to protect our environment for generations to come.