Today at COP30, Secretary of State Ed Miliband called for ambitious outcomes – to be inspired by the progress made so far – and to keep the faith from the Paris Agreement to deliver greater action in the closing days of COP30.
Miliband outlined three pathways forward:
- Go further and faster to limit global warming to 1.5°C, stating this is what it means to uphold the Paris Agreement.
- Build confidence that last year’s $300bn a year in climate finance is a real goal that will be delivered, including for adaptation.
- Build on the Brazilian Presidency’s call for a roadmap to transition away from fossil fuels, as we cannot have progress on climate action without progress on this.
In the high-level national statement, he emphasised that global cooperation is in our national and global interest, and that in the days left of COP30 we must all raise our sights.
Catherine Pettengell, Executive Director of Climate Action Network UK (CAN-UK) said:
“Ambition must go hand-in-hand with fairness. The UK is right to call for greater action to limit global warming, provide finance, and transition away from fossil fuels – but the UK must go further at COP30 and also champion fair outcomes that the majority world are calling for that put people at the heart of climate action – this is what genuine partnership looks like. We call on the UK to also support securing high ambition outcomes for just transition and adaptation finance at COP30, to secure better lives for everyone in the UK and around the world.”
Liz Cronin, Climate Lead for CAFOD (Catholic Agency For Overseas Development) said:
“We welcome the Secretary of State’s strong affirmation of the need to transition away from fossil fuels, and his rejection of the global “forces of denial” organised against climate action.
“To be meaningful, these words must be backed up with action. Developing countries simply cannot pursue a just transition without sufficient non-debt creating and accessible climate finance – the finance we promised to give as part of the Paris Agreement the UK wants to preserve.”
Jack Wakefield, Global Affairs Lead on Climate at WaterAid UK said:
“Ed Miliband has long championed urgent climate action and his leadership matters as he calls out deniers and renews the UK’s global position.
“But to truly “join together for the good of all our peoples” this must also mean championing adaptation, and putting water at the heart of action to tackle the climate crisis. Water is a key solution to adapting to our changing climate – providing access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene means people can stay healthy and safe when a climate impact hits.”
Sam Perriman, Public Policy Lead at Tearfund said:
“COP30 must see governments commit to the money that is so urgently needed by communities living in poverty directly impacted by climate change — this must be at the heart of any agreements as the conference reaches its conclusion.
“The reality is that without reliable and debt-free finance from wealthy governments, lower income countries cannot adapt to the impacts of climate change.
“While we welcome the call from the UK to raise ambition at this COP, we urge the government and other wealthy nations to lead by example and push to turn the $300bn of climate finance promised at COP29 to the $1.3tn needed.”
Gareth Redmond-King, Head of International Programme at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit said:
“With China looking likely to have peaked their emissions, global clean energy markets running at twice the size of fossil fuel equivalents, and emissions growth having slowed five-fold in 10 years, the Paris Agreement has set momentum rolling on an unstoppable transition to clean energy. From the now much copied Climate Change Act of 2008, the net zero commitment in 2019 – a suit followed by four fifths of the global economy – and our hosting of COP26 in Glasgow, the UK has led other countries to increase their own efforts. Reaching net zero emissions is scientifically the only way to stop climate change, but given the global economic momentum behind it, there is clear jeopardy for industries and jobs in any country seeking to try to duck it”.
Svetlana Chigozie Onye, at the UK Youth Climate Coalition said:
“We acknowledge the strides the UK is taking to be a climate leader and the Secretary of State’s recognition that climate solutions take a global effort; however, to ensure that in ten years, youth look back positively at the outcomes of COP30, we need to be able to see the intentional recognition of our needs through clear children and youth indicators in mechanisms such as the Global Goal for Adaptation (GGA). We hope that the intergenerational equity hinted at in this speech is also evident in the UK’s closing contributions as this conference draws to a close.”
Gavin Crowden, Director of Advocacy at WWF-UK said
“We agree with the UK that countries must press forward with greater urgency at COP30. This is why we need the roadmap to finally end deforestation – and we need the UK to work with Brazil and others to secure this in Belem. COP30 must be remembered as the forest COP, so we expect the UK to back up its words with actions to support an ambitious outcome.”
Mark Barrell, Director of Advocacy and Influencing at CBM UK said:
“CBM UK welcomes the UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband’s call for countries to press forward on faster climate action. However, the transition to green jobs, clean economic growth and sustainable energy security must be just – ensuring that people with disabilities are included and consulted from the get-go and not left behind. We know that inclusion benefits everyone: true climate justice can only be achieved when all marginalised groups are fully represented, and their needs and knowledge are built into every part of climate decision-making.”
Asad Rehman, Chief Executive of Friends of the Earth said:
“”The UK says it’s all in on climate action, but strong words without concrete plans for how the government will live up to them does nothing for people or our planet.
“From the podiums the UK claims it’s a climate champion, but in the negotiation room it’s blocking cooperation on delivering the Belém Action Mechanism, needed to deliver a fair and just transition at the international level. Meanwhile 6,000 miles away at the UN tax convention in Nairobi, it’s also undermining efforts to create a fairer global tax system that’s vital for shoring up the finance required to help the countries on the front lines of climate breakdown.
“For developing countries, calls for global ambition from rich countries without the support to back it up ring hollow, and are seen merely as a ploy to justify big business’ continued plundering of their resources and mineral wealth.
“Ed Miliband rightly criticised the forces of climate denialism, but just as deadly are the politics of delay at this most critical time. What’s needed in these halls is the understanding that fairness goes hand in hand with the need for urgency. Not only is this critical for easing the hardship people are feeling at home and overseas, but also to face off the rise of fascism we’re seeing the world over.”
Izzie McIntosh, Climate Campaign Manager at Global Justice Now said:
“Miliband is right to speak to the importance of multilateralism. But his words today risk ringing hollow when we consider that the UK Government is continuing to block progress toward a Belém Action Mechanism which would facilitate coordinated concrete steps toward just transition policies. Policies to lower energy bills, create new green jobs, and accelerate a globally just green transition are bold, popular and necessary. Global South governments have recognised this and are backing calls for just transition negotiations to continue, and accelerate at the UN. The UK must end its longstanding pattern of frustrating the fight for global climate justice by backing the Belém Action Mechanism at COP30, which can help deliver better lives and livelihoods in the UK and around the world.”
Ben Wilson, Director of Public Engagement for SCIAF said:
“The Secretary of State’s commitment to the global just transition away from fossil fuels is welcome, as is his emphasis that we must do all we can to meet that crucial 1.5°C temperature goal.
“But the truth is all of this will require investment, especially for the world’s poorest countries who are bearing the brunt of climate impacts. The UK needs to get real on climate finance if it wants to be a leader at the COP, and that means stumping up more grants as well as championing reforms to the unfair global financial architecture.”
Mariana Paoli, Global Advocacy Lead at Christian Aid said:
“The UK has a proud history of being a climate leader, but if Ed Miliband wants to help secure a positive outcome at the COP30 climate talks, he should back calls by developing countries for public climate finance to address the dire impacts of the climate crisis. The lack of clarity on this life-saving funding is what is holding up the negotiations.
“Raising this climate finance can be done through scrapping handouts to fossil fuel companies and extreme wealth taxes. What it mustn’t do is heap more debt on developing countries by being given in loans.
“It’s good to see the UK supporting moves in Belem for a roadmap to phase out fossil fuels. The energy transition is happening but it’s not moving fast enough, so a strong declaration here would give it fresh impetus.”
ENDS
Notes for editors:
- Climate Action Network UK (CAN-UK) brings together international development and environment organisations in the UK working on the poverty-nature-climate agenda to advocate for climate justice and sustainable development for all.
- CAN-UK is the UK node of Climate Action Network (CAN), a global network of more than 1,900 civil society organisations in over 130 countries driving collective and sustainable action to fight the climate crisis and to achieve social and racial justice. climatenetwork.org.
- Read CAN-UK’s COP30 briefing paper, which outlines our key asks for COP30.
- On the 13th October, CAN-UK and more than 45 charities, campaigns and trade unions called for the UK to champion an ambitious outcome on just transition at COP30. You can read the open letter here.
- CAN-UK Executive Director Catherine Pettengell will be attending COP30 in Belém, Brazil and is available for interview.
