The commitments made by the British authorities are so many and varied in their quest to be a champion in the fight against climate change that some doubt their seriousness, or simply the real possibility of putting them into practice.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who aspires to be able to receive world leaders attending the United Nations Climate Change Conference or COP26 scheduled for next November in Glasgow, Scotland, was personally confident that joint action would allow the production of the technological solutions that humanity needs to face Environmental emergencies.
From said to verb …
Johnson’s optimism, who says the UK will become “the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for wind energy,” contrasts, however, with the skepticism of many environmentalists and British politicians about how the government will be able to fulfill these commitments.
Undoubtedly, the UK is leading action against climate change at the global level, but it still needs to define a long-term strategy with the policies and investments needed to achieve the zero emissions target, as emphasized Gareth Redmond King, Program Director Prensa Latina. Communications on COP26 at ECIU
According to the director of this independent, not-for-profit British organization, some of the recent decisions by the government differ widely from official rhetoric.
He cited, for example, reducing international development aid, investments in building new roads, reducing the tax rate on domestic flights and eliminating funds to improve energy efficiency in homes, in addition to initial implicit support for construction. Another coal mine in northwest England.
Labor MP Ed Miliband, who is the Minister of Business and Energy in the so-called shadow government (opposition), is also one of those who believe that the new and higher goals should have a realistic plan to support them.
“The public knows that announcing a goal is not the same as achieving it,” Miliband wrote on Twitter, and they want to be able to count on coherent leadership from a government that is truly honest, not inconsistent, unfair, and uses “green makeup”, following Johnson’s remarks at the World Leaders Summit. .
Rebel climate
The British environmental group Extinction Rebellion (XR), for its part, considers the government not meeting the targets, given the scale of the climate emergency looming on the horizon.
According to the British organization founded in 2018 and known for organizing colorful and stunning protests across the UK, time to try to stem the environmental crisis is running out, and unless pollutant emissions are reduced to zero by 2025, no one will escape the devastating impact of climate change.
If urgent and drastic action is not taken, we are heading towards 4 ° C warming, the social breakdown and the massive loss of life that this entails, as XR warned in a statement promising a “summer rebellion” that includes measures in London and during the G7 summit in Cornwall in June, plus other measures not yet disclosed prior to COP26.
Light at the end of the tunnel?
Redmond King is also among those who believe there is little time left to save the planet, but he disagrees with those who claim COP26 will be the last chance to make it happen, but he sees the UN-sponsored conference as an important moment to deliver new commitments and more ambitious goals. Six years after the Paris Accords.
He emphasized that the science is clear and guarantees that if by the middle of this century we can reduce emissions to zero, we will still have a reliable chance to keep the global temperature at 1.5 degrees.
The expert noted, however, that it was necessary to act now and make cuts as soon as possible, because any delay, he warned, would increase the costs of the measures and the impact of climate change.
“The wealthiest and most polluting countries like the United Kingdom and the United States have an obligation to reduce their emissions as quickly as possible, as well as provide the financing and debt relief necessary to help developing countries achieve their goals, protect and restore nature and bear the costs of the impact of climate change.”
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