In his first major speech as Foreign Secretary, will today (17th
September) direct foreign policy attention to the climate crisis.
Outlining that climate change is at the centre of geopolitics, he
will position the climate and nature crisis as the defining
challenge of our times – but point to the unparalleled economic
opportunities that the energy transition presents.
The Foreign Secretary will commit to turn the Global Clean Power
Alliance into a reality, working in partnership with developed
and developing states to make the rapid deployment of renewable
energy a global priority.
Foreign Secretary, , is expected to
say:
“This Government has set a landmark goal – to be the first
major economy to deliver clean power by
2030.”
“We will leverage that ambition to build an Alliance
committed to accelerating the clean energy transition.”
“And today we are firing the starting gun on forming this new
coalition.”
“While some countries are moving ahead in this transition,
others are being left
behind.”
“We need to accelerate the rollout of renewable energy across
the globe in the way that this Government is doing at
home.”
The Alliance will focus on driving global investment and finance
to close the clean power gap by helping more countries to
leapfrog fossil fuels and transition to power systems with
renewables at their core. It will work to speed up the supply of
critical minerals and inject impetus into expanding energy grids
and storage. This will help to increase clean energy innovation
across the globe - sharing knowledge and technology to make Net
Zero Power a reality, everywhere.
The Foreign Secretary will reaffirm the cross-Government mission
for growth and clean energy, kickstarted by the Prime Minister's
quick moves to lift the de facto ban on onshore wind in England,
ending new oil and gas licenses while guaranteeing a fair
transition for the North Sea, and switching on Great British
Energy to crowd investment into clean power projects.
Foreign Secretary, , is expected to
say:
“This crisis is not some discrete policy area,
divorced from geopolitics, conflict and insecurity.”
“The threat may not feel as urgent as a terrorist or an
imperialist
autocrat.”
“But it is more fundamental. It is systemic. Pervasive. And
accelerating towards
us.”
“Today, I am committing to you that while I am Foreign
Secretary, action on the climate and nature crisis will be
central to all the Foreign Office
does.”
“This is critical given the scale of the threat, but also the
scale of the opportunity.”
The Foreign Secretary will commit to united Government team that
will use the diplomatic and development weight of the FCDO to
push for ambitious pledges on finance and reduced emissions at
COP29.
This diplomatic weight will be reinforced by new UK Special
Representatives for Climate Change and for Nature. These
representatives will report to the Foreign Secretary, together
with and respectively, and will help to
galvanise British engagement with partners across the world. This
will forge genuine partnerships on climate change and mark a
diplomatic drive to increase global ambition focused on clean
power, climate finance, adaptation and resilience and
biodiversity.
The Foreign Secretary will set out the importance of putting
climate finance at the centre of Government action, taking a
progressive realist approach to the climate crisis. He will set
out the importance of putting local communities at the heart of
decision-making, and push for a modernised approach to
development, recognising that there is no pathway to development
without increasing climate resilience and improving access to
clean energy.
Note to Editors:
- The speech will be delivered at ~1145 and will be covered by
the UK and international pool
