PRESS RELEASE : Accelerating progress towards tackling the climate crisis – UK statement at UN Second Committee [November 2022]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 23 November 2022.

UK statement on Climate delivered at UN Second Committee.

Thank you, Madam Chair,

On behalf of the United Kingdom, I would like to thank Ms Leticia Zamora of Costa Rica for her work facilitating this important resolution. We are pleased to join consensus on this priority issue.

In the spirit of protecting the global climate for present and future generations, the UK entered negotiations across the Second Committee with the aim of maintaining ambition on internationally agreed outcomes which were successfully achieved at COP26 in Glasgow last year, to safeguard commitments made and keep 1.5C alive. Climate change is affecting countries ever more than before, with particular risks for Small Island Developing States and Least Developed Countries, which often bear the brunt of the impacts.

We are pleased that this resolution reaffirms efforts to limit global temperature increases to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, urges updating Nationally Determined Contributions in line with the global temperature goal, and calls on countries to scale up clean power generation, while accelerating efforts towards the phase-down of unabated coal power and phasing-out of inefficient fossil fuel subsidies.

The UK also congratulates Egypt on completing a successful COP27, and welcomes the outcomes which build on previous commitments, including those aimed at helping the most vulnerable countries. We look forward to working together with all of you to ensure full and effective implementation of the Paris Agreement and the outcomes of the UNFCCC COP26 and COP27 climate change conferences, to accelerate progress towards SDG13 and tackle the climate crisis.

Thank you.