huffingtonpost - 12 hours ago

United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks during a plenary session at the COP29 U.N. Climate Summit, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan.Keir Starmer has been urged to show “true climate leadership” after the head of the United Nations warned the world had already surpassed its climate targets.It was a pivotal moment in international politics when 195 countries around the globe signed up to the 2015 Paris Agreement, pledging to try and keep average global temperature changes to well below 2C compared to the industrial era.Countries agreed “to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels”.In recent years, as global warming continues, some experts say this 1.5C limit needs to apply to the end of this century to avoid triggering far more several climate changes – including extreme weather like droughts, heatwaves and rainfall.But the UN’s secretary-general Antonio Guterres told the Guardian and Amazon-based news organisation Sumaúma overnight it was “inevitable” humanity will overshoot this goal – leading to “devastating consequences” for the world. Speaking before the UN’s COP30 – Conference of the Parties – where nations focus on addressing climate justice, he said: “It is absolutely indispensable to change course in order to make sure that the overshoot is as short as possible and as low in intensity as possible to avoid tipping points like the Amazon.“We don’t want to see the Amazon as a savannah. But that is a real risk if we don’t change course and if we don’t make a dramatic decrease of emissions as soon as possible.”Green MP Ellie Chowns urged the UK to “heed” such a warning.She said: “As the birthplace of the industrial revolution, and its legacy of high carbon emissions, the UK has a special responsibility to be a global leader in the shift towards a green economy - and leading by example at home.”Chowns welcomed the news that Starmer will be attending COP30, and called for him to “use his voice to demand action that closes the global emissions gap”.She added: “He must also stand firm against the reckless and dangerous attempts to undermine climate action by Reform UK and the Conservatives.”Reform has promised to scrap the UK’s net zero target if the party is ever elected, while the Conservatives want to drop Britain’s landmark Climate Change Act.Chowns said: “True climate leadership also means resisting pressure from the fossil fuel lobby.“COP30 is taking place against a backdrop of continued financial support from governments for the fossil fuel industry. This includes an estimated £17.5 billion every year here in the UK.“The government must also refuse permission for the giant Rosebank oilfield, which would create more emissions than the combined annual CO2 emissions of all 28 low-income countries in the world – the very countries that are bearing the brunt of climate breakdown.”The government Department for Energy, Security and Net Zero as well as the Liberal Democrats, the Conservatives and Reform UK were also approached for comment for this story.Related...Yet Another Blow For Starmer As Labour Hit New Low In Polls Starmer Has A Chance To Go Big On Delivering Climate Action – And He Must Not Wimp Out A Disaster : Labour Accused Of Ditching Climate Change Pledges Over Gatwick Expansion

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