News

Keir Starmer throws down the gauntlet to Donald Trump and urges him to ‘show leadership’ on climate change – as he arrives in Azerbaijan for COP29 climate summit

Keir Starmer threw down the gauntlet to Donald Trump at the Cop29 summit today by urging him to ‘show leadership’ on climate change.

The Prime Minister issued the challenge to the US President-elect as he arrived at the UN conference in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan.

Sir Keir is one of just a small handful of world leaders who have come to the annual event, aimed at curbing catastrophic global warming caused by greenhouse gases.

It comes as comments from Mr Trump have cast a shadow over the summit. He has promised to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement – in which governments made pledges to reduce pollution – as he believes global warming is ‘a hoax’.

Current US President Joe Biden is not attending, and other notable absentees include President Xi Jinping of China, the world’s biggest greenhouse-gas emitter, and prime minister Narendra Modi of India, the third-biggest emitter.

French president Emmanuel Macron, German chancellor Olaf Scholz, and EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen are all staying at home. The only other G7 leader taking part in the summit is Italy’s Giorgia Meloni.

One surprise attendee is the Taliban, which has found time to join the event.

Matiul Haq Khalis, the head of Afghanistan’s Environmental Protection Agency, spoke to the media about the impact of climate change on the country.

Downing Street said the Prime Minister had no plans to meet the delegation.

The choice of Azerbaijan to host the talks has come under criticism over its human rights record, with failings including the persecution of political opponents and detainment of activists.

Sir Keir said of the summit: ‘I have repeatedly emphasised the importance of global leadership when it comes to the climate challenge, and therefore it is very important for me to come to Cop… I see the climate challenge as a huge opportunity for the UK if we get it right, and that is why we have made it one of our missions to have clean power by 2030.’

He said there was ‘a global race’ to be the leader on renewable energy, adding: ‘I want us to win the race.’

Of Mr Trump’s remarks on climate change, Sir Keir said: ‘I’m not going to comment on his views, I am very clear in mine which is that the climate challenge is something that we have got to rise to and that’s why I’ve repeatedly said we’ve got to show leadership.’

Meanwhile, developing countries are calling for richer countries to pay out ‘trillions’ to help modernise their economies and to invest in clean, green technologies.

Developed countries committed to contributing $100billion (£78billion) a year in climate finance between 2021 and 2026, of which the UK’s overall contribution has been £11.6billion.

Under the terms of the 2015 Paris agreement, 197 signatories committed to limiting global warming to two degrees Celsius.

Last month, the UN warned the world was on a path towards a catastrophic 3.1 degrees Celsius of warming this century based on current actions.

Related Posts

Alarming reason hurricanes are getting stronger and the states most at risk

An alarming new study obtained by the DailyMail.com outlines why deadly hurricanes in the US are set to become even stronger – with southern states including Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida most at risk. Extreme weather conditions and stronger than usual storms have battered the South over the past six months, with Hurricanes Milton, Helene and Rafael causing devastating damage and leaving hundreds dead. Now, a new study published by Princeton University’s Climate Central has revealed that ‘bath’-temperature water in the Atlantic and Gulf is to blame for the so-called super hurricanes.

Top Democrat slams Pete Hegseth’s military record as Trump’s Defense Secretary nominee comes under fire

Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth slammed President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary Pete Hegseth’s military record as ‘pretty low rank’ as he faces scrutiny for controversial comments he made about women serving in combat. Duckworth, who is a combat veteran who lost both her legs and mobility in one arm serving in Iraq, appeared on CBS News’ Face the Nation where she was asked about the TV personality tapped to head the Pentagon. She said his comments about women in combat show he does not understand where the military is and called him unqualified for the role.

Bishop TD Jakes suffers medical emergency during church sermon as horrified congregation looks on

A celebrity bishop appeared to suffer a medical emergency mid-sermon at his megachurch in Dallas. Bishop TD Jakes, 67, was filmed involuntarily shaking during the ordeal, at The Potter’s House megachurch Sunday. The place of worship has a capacity of about 8,000, and the crowd was seen reacting to Jakes’ episode in real-time.

Aussie teen rages over Sydney property prices

A young Australian has slammed the country’s housing crisis as ‘genuinely ridiculous’ after receiving a flyer from a real estate agency that showcased ordinary properties that all sold for more than $1million. Matt, a 19-year-old from Sydney, expressed his frustration with the state of Australia’s property market after seeing the flyer, which highlighted 53 homes sold in October. The properties were located in suburbs about one hour west of Sydney’s CBD, including Quakers Hill, Box Hill, Blacktown, and Riverstone.

Inside Chelsea’s trendy King’s Road as thieves target shoppers at luxury boutiques to steal 30 phones a day – after Christine Lampard fell victim to muggers

Shoppers who have their mobile phones stolen on the fashionable King’s Road, like Christine Lampard, won’t get them back, say security guards who work in the upmarket boutiques targeted by street thieves. After the Loose Women presenter Christine revealed how a security guard shrugged and said, ‘there’s at least 30 a day stolen out here,’ after she had her phone snatched while shopping along the exclusive road in Chelsea, southwest London, others warned they are powerless to stop the thefts. Christine, 45 described being the victim of the mobile phone crime wave sweeping the capital while speaking with fellow Loose Women, Olivia Attwood, Judi Love, and Brenda Edwards, about policing and Keir Starmer’s right to prioritise ‘physical crime’ after journalists were arrested over social media posts.

PETER VAN ONSELEN: The rot at the core of Team Albo has been exposed by these shady last minute acts – including a startling admission about the misinformation bill

The poor priorities and inconsistencies of Anthony Albanese’s government are nearly summed up by the political manoeuvres taking place as we enter the final parliamentary sitting period before the summer break. They are tangible evidence for why Labor is floundering in the polls in just its first term in power. On the one hand, Labor spent months telling us its misinformation bill was a vital reform aimed at stamping out… you guessed it, misinformation in public discourse.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *