What Message Does Indecisive Climate Action from the UK Government Send?
“Climate leadership is essential for creating change, particularly from those who aspire to be world leaders in climate action.”
With significant political change in both monarch and prime minister of the UK, decisiveness is essential. Yet, recent climate news has been dominated by King Charles III’s non-attendance at the 27th Convention of Parties (COP27) following governmental advice, the belated decision to hold a pre-conference reception, and Rishi Sunak’s U-turn on attending COP27. But is such climate indecision and inaction becoming a recurring theme for the UK?
The UK became the first nation in the world to create a legally binding commitment to reduce greenhouse gases: the Climate Change Act 2008. This stated a clear intent that the UK aspired to become a world leader in climate action. Fast-forward 14 years to July 2022, and the UK government lost a legal case for inadequate climate action and for breaching the very same unprecedented Act that they created. Recent evidence suggests that the UK’s financial sector alone, through various worldwide projects, creates almost 1.8 times as many carbon emissions as the UK does itself.
King Charles III is often considered a climate advocate. As the former Prince of Wales, he gave a conservation-related speech in 1970 and more recently launched the Terra Carta (which aims to improve sustainability in the private sector by 2030). Furthermore, he spoke at COP26 (held in Glasgow, UK in 2021), emphasising the “war-like footing” that the climate crisis has placed us in, and called for world leaders to take a radically transformative approach in their climate action. Less than a year later, it was announced that King Charles III would not be attending COP27 as recommended by the previous prime minister Liz Truss. This remained unchanged under current prime minister Rishi Sunak. Alongside Rishi Sunak’s initial statement of non-attendance at COP27 to prioritise the domestic economy, the criticism faced led to Rishi Sunak reversing his decision to not attend COP27, and that Buckingham Palace would also hold a reception event to mark the end of COP26. Despite the later statement on social media that “there is no long-term prosperity without action on climate change,” governmental climate indecision in the UK has sparked global criticism.
Climate leadership is essential for creating change, particularly from those who aspire to be world leaders in climate action. However, there is current concern that the UK lacks decisive climate action from policymakers and leaders of the nation, with finance continuing to be prioritised. This is reiterated by a recent Parliament report stating that governmental action for promoting climate-positive behavioural change is “seriously inadequate,” and requires coherent leadership, greater organisation, and a clear pathway. Actions must speak louder than words.
