The PM addressed the virtual Climate Adaptation Summit,
hosted by the Netherlands, this afternoon.
“I know we’re all still wrestling with the huge challenges of
Covid 19 but we can’t lose sight of the vital importance of our
fight against climate change.
“The past few weeks have been hugely significant in that fight,
more so perhaps than any weeks since the Paris Agreement was
reached five years ago.
“First at December’s UK-hosted Climate Ambition Summit and then
at President Macron’s One Planet Summit, we have seen nations
coming together to set a clear path to the greener, cleaner and
more sustainable future we all want for our children.
“But stopping climate change 10, 20 or however many years from
now can’t and must not be the limit of our ambition.
“Because when we look to Bangladesh and see more powerful and
more frequent storms and cyclones…
“when we look to California, Australia and see soaring
temperatures and raging wildfires…
“when we look to the island nations of the Pacific and see whole
communities submerged by rising seas…
“We cannot deny that dramatic climate change is already
happening, already devastating lives and economies.
“And even if by some miracle of science we were able to flick a
switch tonight and wake up tomorrow in a net zero world the
damage already done is such that it would take time for the
effects to slow, to stop and to go into reverse.
“And that means we must adapt to our changing climate. And we
must do so now.
“Because people are already suffering.
“And because prevention is not only better than cure, it’s
cheaper too: if we fail to act in 2021, then by 2030 the annual
bill for adaptation in developing countries alone will have
reached as high as $300 billion.
“So I fully support the Secretary General of the UN António
Guterres’ call to increase the amount of climate finance
dedicated to adaptation.
“I’ll be making the need for a more resilient recovery a priority
of the UK’s G7 presidency this year.
“And to make sure we get not just warm words but real change, I
am today launching an all-new Adaptation Action Coalition.
“Which is a joint effort between the UK, Bangladesh, Egypt,
Malawi, the Netherlands, St Lucia and the United Nations, this
coalition will draw on the expertise of businesses, scientists,
civil society and more, working with the Race to Resilience and
the UN High Level Climate Champions team to build on 2019’s Call
for Action on Adaptation and setting the agenda ahead of COP26
later this year.
“If climate change were an infectious disease we would not only
seek to deal with the underlying cause by developing a vaccine,
in this case Net Zero.
“We would also find every way we could to treat and manage the
symptoms.
“So let 2021 be the year that we fight back not just against
climate change, but the effects of climate change that are
already being felt.
“And let’s work together to adapt, to become more resilient, and
to save lives and livelihoods all around the world.”
