The prime minister – who had been criticized for saying he was too busy with domestic commitments to attend – also adopted exactly the same language on renewable energy that Labor leader Keir Starmer has been using for months, saying he now wanted to turn the UK into a ‘clean energy superpower’. Sunak’s efforts to present himself as a global environmental leader and champion of clean energy drew deep skepticism as political leaders, diplomats and NGOs gathered in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh for the UN’s latest effort to tackle global warming. Writing in today’s Observer, Starmer ridicules Sunak, calling him a “fossil fuel prime minister in an age of renewables” who still wants to ban more onshore wind farms and who has opposed solar projects. Professor Saleemul Huq, director of the International Center for Climate Change and Development, which is at the summit, said: “He has already shown his reluctance to make the UK a leader in the global fight against man-made climate change, initially refusing to come to Cop27 and hand over the presidency from Cop26 to Egypt to Cop27. His actions to allow more fossil fuel drilling in the North Sea are the exact opposite of leadership.” During his leadership campaign against Liz Truss, Sunak promised to maintain planning rules that effectively prevent other onshore wind farms and also criticized solar power. But in a speech at the summit on Monday, Sunak will say: “Combating climate change is not just a moral good – it is fundamental to our future prosperity and security. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its despicable manipulation of energy prices only reinforced the importance of ending our dependence on fossil fuels. “We must go further and faster in the transition to renewable energy and I will ensure that the UK is at the forefront of this global movement as a clean energy superpower.” With most experts believing the UK cannot become a “clean energy superpower” without more onshore as well as offshore wind, Downing Street denied Sunak was preparing to change onshore wind policy. A government source said the focus would be on expanding offshore wind power for now. As the UK hands over the presidency of the Police to Egypt, Sunak will also urge leaders not to back down on their pledge at Cop26, where countries gathered to sign the landmark Glasgow climate pact. The prime minister decided to attend the meeting last week only after criticism from other countries and after the Observer revealed that all but one of his predecessors, Boris Johnson, planned to go, threatening to pull him out. Greenpeace UK head of policy, Rebecca Newsom, said: “If Sunak wants the UK to be a world leader on climate, it needs to block new oil and gas drilling, invest in insulating homes and support claims of developing countries for loss of damage financing. It should raise taxes on the profits of the fossil fuel giants to help pay for them, while providing extra support to households struggling with their bills. This is the only way we can deliver climate justice and build the trust that is sorely lacking in international climate talks. People will soon forget what the Prime Minister said at this summit, but they will live long with the consequences of his actions.” Leading climate experts and campaigners fear the summit could fail before it even begins if countries do not agree to put the loss and damage suffered by poorer countries at the center of the talks. Huq said: “I am optimistic that there will finally be progress on funding for loss and damage at Cop27. There are discussions about whether or not it will be included in the Cop agenda. Failure to include this will mean that the Policeman will fail before it has even officially begun.” If the matter is to be discussed, under UN rules, an agenda item must be agreed upon at the opening meeting. There is willingness among developed and developing countries for such an element, but the Observer understands that some major developing economies are shying away from the issue. Harjeet Singh, head of global policy strategy at Climate Action Network International, called on developed countries in the talks to take the lead. “Wealthy governments must commit constructively to address the ongoing injustice of climate-induced loss and damage by pledging to provide support to those affected and phasing out fossil fuels,” he said. “This is the cop where the polluters have to get in the dock and be held accountable.” Cop27, the latest edition of the UN’s annual climate talks, is taking place amid high geopolitical tensions over the Ukraine war, rising energy and food prices and the cost of living crisis around the world. Even the Egyptian hosts have admitted that this will be the most difficult series of talks in at least a decade. Antonio Guterres, the UN secretary-general, said in an interview on the eve of the talks that there was a gap between the rich – who had caused the climate crisis but failed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions – and the poor, who suffered the effects but did not they had the financial resources to protect themselves.
