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Burnham to pledge 'new era of British leadership' on climate action published at 06:44 GMT Andy Burnham will shortly address the COP31 climate summit in Turkey, where he is expected to pledge "a new era of British leadership over the next decade" on climate action. The prime minister, who is the only G7 leader to attend this year's summit in Antalya, will insist the UK “remains determined to reach net zero by 2050” and announce the appointment of Dame Madeleine Alessandri as a new climate security envoy. He will also warn that the “climate crisis is upon all of us now” after a “not normal” summer of extreme heat, wildfires and drought, adding that "the world has changed" and "the consensus we once enjoyed on science and climate action has broken down".
From winter floods to a scorching summer, the UK has been living through a year of extremes published at 06:42 GMT Justin Rowlatt Climate editor Image source, Christopher Furlong/Getty Images Image caption, Dry weather and extreme heat has brought drought to large parts of Southern England this year The UK has been living through a year that once would have seemed almost impossible. A sodden winter flooded swathes of southern England . Then came the heat: 35C in May, 38C in June, and the hottest summer since records began.
Reservoirs ran low and hosepipe bans spread across the country. Parts of the UK are still in severe drought even after October’s storms. This is unlikely to be a freak run of bad luck - it is what a warming world looks like.
And scientists are now warning that it could be the warmest year on record globally as the natural weather phenomenon El Niño comes into play. As Simon Stiell, the UN climate chief said at the opening of the COP31 Summit on Monday: “A super El Niño is turbocharging climate impacts, delivering a deadly double-blow.” To find out more about what this year of extremes has meant for the UK watch my latest Panorama - Fires and Floods: Our Extreme Weather - on iPlayer now. Burnham questioned by Tory leader on future of Rosebank published at 06:39 GMT Image source, PA Media Today's speech at COP31 follows Andy Burnham saying a decision on the Rosebank oil and gas field would be taken "in due course" in the House of Commons.
The prime minister was speaking in response to Leader of the Opposition Kemi Badenoch, who accused Burnham of kicking decisions "into the long grass" and pressed him on why the field had not been approved yet. Burnham said the field was a "quasi-legal decision" and continued to defend his energy policy, saying his government had recently approved North Sea drilling at Jackdaw - a divisive decision within Labour - and had announced two offshore wind farms off the coast of East Anglia and eastern Scotland. He also spoke about measures the government had taken to remove standing charges from gas bills and VAT from electricity bills.
King Charles tells COP31 attendees they will be judged by actions not words published at 06:32 GMT Image source, Getty Images As world leaders descend on Turkey to attend the COP31 climate summit, Kind Charles has urged them that the "need for action has never been clearer - nor more urgent". He says he hopes those attending the UN conference "meet this moment not only with ambition, but with the determination to turn that ambition into action". "Our children and grandchildren will not judge us by the promises we made, but by what we chose to do," he says.
The King, who has championed environmental causes for decades, adds that parts are the world are already "enduring severe heat, floods, droughts, wildfires and storms" and that recent events show that "climate change is not a distant threat". "Now is the time for swift action to curb methane and other powerful pollutants, protect and restore the forests, oceans and other ecosystems on which all life depends, advance green electrification and help vulnerable communities withstand the changes already upon us," he says. Andy Burnham to address COP31 climate summit in Turkey published at 06:24 GMT Jack Grey Live reporter Image source, PA Media Andy Burnham due to speak shortly at the COP31 climate summit in Turkey.
He is among representatives from more than 190 countries that have gathered in Antalya for the annual UN-organised event. The prime minister is expected to pledge a “new era of British leadership” on addressing climate change and announce a new climate security envoy. “The climate crisis is upon all of us now," he will say.
It comes after the UK government approved the controversial Jackdaw gas field in the North Sea last month - and with division in Burnham's party over whether to approve the larger Rosebank oil field. After being questioned on Rosebank by Tory leader Kemi Badenoch in Parliament, Burnham said a decision would be "taken in due course", while Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh stressed that affordability of energy bills was her "overriding objective". As world leaders gather for COP, King Charles has told those attending that the need for action has never been "more urgent", adding: "Our children and grandchildren will not judge us by the promises we made, but by what we chose to do." You'll be able to watch Burnham's speech live at the top of this page, and we'll have updates and analysis on this page.
Source: BBC
