London: Britain’s new prime minister Rishi Sunak announced on Wednesday that he will finally attend the UN climate conference in Egypt, having sparked outrage for refusing to attend the global event early in his tenure. Sunak had argued that “pressing domestic commitments” would keep him away from COP27 in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh — after inheriting a financial crisis from her predecessor Liz Truss. But that fueled doubts about Sunak’s interest in the global emergency, and critics said the inexperienced leader was missing an opportunity to rub shoulders with US President Joe Biden and his European counterparts. “There is no long-term prosperity without action on climate change. There is no energy without investment in renewables,” Rishi Sunak tweeted. “That’s why I’ll be attending @COP27P next week: to deliver Glasgow’s legacy of building a safe and sustainable future.” There is no long-term prosperity without action on climate change. There is no energy security without investment in renewable energy sources. This is why I will be attending @COP27P next week: to deliver Glasgow’s legacy of building a secure and sustainable future. — Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) November 2, 2022 The Scottish city was the venue for COP26 under the leadership of Truss’ predecessor Boris Johnson, who made climate change and ambitions to make Britain “net zero” emissions a political signature. Truss seriously challenged that commitment with her avowed net zero skepticism — and barred King Charles III from attending COP27. The new monarch is a lifelong campaigner for the environment, and Sunak’s change of heart could reignite the debate over whether Britain should allow him to lobby on Egypt’s climate case. The monarch is due to host a pre-COP reception at Buckingham Palace on Friday for businesspeople, activists and politicians, including US climate change envoy John Kerry. Sunak’s about-face came after Johnson, in an interview broadcast on Sky News on Tuesday, confirmed he was heading to COP27 at Egypt’s invitation, potentially ousting Sunak. “Phoney” “If the UK wants to be seen as a world leader, it needs to lead. It’s only right that the Prime Minister attends the upcoming COP27,” Oxfam GB climate chief Tracey Carty said after Sunak’s U-turn. “It is critical that the UK moves forward, not only for the benefit of the countries bearing the brunt of climate change, but also for its own credibility on the world stage,” he said. During his tenure, Johnson championed renewable energy as key to a greener UK economy and his quest for net zero carbon emissions by 2050. But on taking office, Sunak demoted COP26 president Alok Sharma from his cabinet. Sharma said he was “delighted” with Sunak’s change of heart, but Ed Miliband of the opposition Labor Party accused the new leader of being a “fake”. “Prime Minister embarrassed to go to COP27 by deluge of disbelief that he will fail to turn up,” tweeted Miliband, Labour’s climate spokesman. “It will avoid the embarrassment of not giving leadership.” The UK’s only Green Party MP, Caroline Lucas, welcomed Sunak’s announcement. “But what a shameful misstep on the world stage,” he tweeted. “Let this be a lesson to him — climate leadership matters. “It now urgently needs to raise the UK’s ambition on emissions reduction targets and pay what we owe to global climate funds.” Britain came under fire this week after it revealed it had failed to pay about $300 million in promised payments to international climate finance agencies. (This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)

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