UK must not backtrack from climate goal: Cop27 host Egypt warns

The host of next United Nations climate summit Cop27, Egypt, has warned the United Kingdom against “backtracking from the global climate agenda”. The rare interventive move comes over fears around commitment towards net zero climate goal from the Liz Truss government. The warning by Egyptian government comes before the Cop27 conference that is scheduled to take place in just over a month in Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt.

The warning to the host of Cop26, that took place in Glasgow last year in November, is highly unusual in relation to diplomacy keeping in mind that the hosts of successive Cop summits are responsible for a smooth handover of the climate talks and agendas. The intervention and warning by Egypt have been sparked by reports that King Charles III has been “effectively forbidden by the UK prime minister from attending Cop27, reflects fears among participants in the talks over a change of direction from Britain”.

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The previous United Kingdom prime minister Boris Johnson was regarded as champion of the UK’s climate goal of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, as also shared with many other rich nations. But the newly appointed British PM Liz Truss has “dismayed climate campaigners by offering more than 100 new licences for oil and gas in the North Sea, lifting the ban on fracking, and cancelling green regulations”, The Guardian notes. This is despite of her assurance of supporting the net zero target. Furthermore, chances of her absence in Cop27 further raises question mark on UK government’s commitment to climate goal.

A Cop27 spokesperson said, “The Cop president designate is disappointed by these reports [of Charles’s non-attendance at Cop27]. The Egyptian presidency of the climate conference acknowledges the longstanding and strong commitment of His Majesty to the climate cause, and believes that his presence would have been of great added value to the visibility of climate action at this critical moment. We hope that this doesn’t indicate that the UK is backtracking from the global climate agenda after presiding over Cop26.”