UK pledges £11.6B to tackle climate change

By Mohamed Rajawi

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt (AA) – British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Monday that the UK is committed to providing £11.6 billion ($13.3 billion) to tackle climate change, noting that the war in Ukraine called for "faster action" on the climate crisis.

This came in his first international speech as prime minister during his participation in the UN climate change conference COP27 in the Egyptian seaside resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.

“I believe we found room for hope in Glasgow. With one last chance to create a plan that would limit global temperature rises to 1.5 degrees (Celsius), we made the promises to keep that goal within reach,” he said in his speech.

Sunak stressed that the UK will triple its funding on adaptation efforts to £1.5 billion by 2025.

He said the war in Ukraine was not a reason to slow down on climate change, but a reason to act faster and an opportunity to diversify the UK's energy supply by investing in renewables.

Egypt is currently hosting COP27, with more than 100 leaders and heads of state attending the global event to discuss ways to lessen the negative impacts of climate change and adapting to its repercussions.