As he traveled to the COP27 climate conference in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak claimed to make the United Kingdom a "clean energy superpower." According to the Prime Minister's Office, Sunak will unveil a series of the energy transition, climate financing, and forest and wildlife protection promises during his Monday conference address (PMO).
The PMO stated that in his statement at COP27, Sunak will reveal measures for the United Kingdom to collaborate with international partners to broaden and expedite the transition to cleaner energy "in light of the energy market shock produced by Russia's invasion of Ukraine."
The decision follows the unveiling of the UK government's Energy Security Strategy earlier this year, which outlined its goals to increase its long-term energy independence while expanding clean and affordable energy. Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the strategy included plans to substantially increase the deployment of renewable energy, with offshore wind power to reach up to 50GW by 2030, solar to surge fivefold by 2035 from its current 14GW, low carbon hydrogen production to reach 10GW by 2030, and nuclear to reach up to 24GW by 2050.
More than forty percent of the United Kingdom's energy supply is currently derived from renewable sources, a figure that has quadrupled over the past ten years.
Sunak said:
The shift to renewable energy must be accelerated, and I will ensure that the United Kingdom is at the forefront of this global movement as a clean energy superpower.
As part of the promises to be revealed by the Prime Minister, the United Kingdom has stated that it will increase its contributions to international climate financing and treble investment for global climate adaptation to £1.5 billion by 2025. Sunak will also confirm £65 million for the Nature, People, and Climate Investment Fund to help indigenous and local forest communities, and £65.5 million for the Clean Energy Innovation Facility to give grants to researchers and scientists in developing countries to speed up the development of clean technology.
Monday during the conference, Sunak will also hold an event for the introduction of the Forests and Climate Leaders' Partnership. The program will begin with 20 countries and follow their commitments to the COP26 Forests and Land Use statement, which seeks to halt and reverse forest loss by 2030. The PMO stated that the United Kingdom would spend £90 million to the conservation of the tropical rainforest of the Congo Basin.
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