Andy Burnham has promised a "new era of British leadership" in tackling the climate crisis as he appoints a dedicated climate security envoy at the UN Cop31 summit in Turkey, warning that global agreement on the issue has fractured.
Attending the annual conference for the first time in his capacity as prime minister, he highlighted that the "climate crisis is upon all of us now" following an uncharacteristically severe summer of extreme heat, drought, and wildfires.
“The summer from which Britain recently emerged was not normal, I spent my first three weeks as prime minister responding to the worst wildfires the country has ever experienced,” Mr Burnham said. “I decided it was important to be here as climate shocks are taking a back seat but they are not a distant threat anymore and are upon us all now.”
Mr Burnham pointed to to the war in Iran that has sent prices soaring and backed a push for renewable energy. “The common thread running through all of this is dependence on fossil fuels,” he said. “If we leave ourselves exposed to energy we cannot control, then we are exposed to prices we can’t control.”
Amid accusations that the government is deprioritising the green agenda, Mr Burham has affirmed that the UK “remains determined to reach net zero by 2050".
“The world has changed,” Mr Burnham said. “The consensus we once enjoyed on science and climate action has broken down.” He added that in the five years since he last attended a Cop conference, as mayor of Manchester, the world has not “moved as quick as I would like”.
But “Britain is back and ready to play its full part” in tackling the crisis, Mr Burnham said.
Mr Burnham also announced the appointment of a climate security envoy to prioritise the identification of climate risks as a matter of national security. Dame Madeleine Alessandri, chairwoman of the Joint Intelligence Committee, will also be tasked with strengthening international partnerships over climate issues.
The prime minister, who is set to fly to Dublin for a European Political Community meeting after his speech, is the only G7 leader expected to address the summit.
US President Donald Trump declined to send a delegation for the second year running, while the leaders of France, Germany and Italy are also absent, some due to scheduling conflicts.
China’s Xi Jinping and India’s Narendra Modi, whose countries rank among the world's largest emitters of greenhouse gases from fossil fuels, are also absent from the summit.
The UK, which is seeking to position itself as a global leader in climate diplomacy and clean energy transformation, sent a comparatively large delegation, however. It includes Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh and Climate Minister Katie White.
Mr Burnham is also expected to meet Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on the sidelines of the event to discuss efforts to protect the Amazon rainforest.
Mr Burnham, who arrived in Antalya on Wednesday evening, told delegates: "We should all recognise the summer was not normal.
"The climate crisis is upon all of us now. We saw that with the wildfires that devastated lives and livelihoods everywhere.
"The message I carry here, in my first Cop as Prime Minister, is that the UK remains determined to reach net zero by 2050 and to work with our partners to build a clean energy future.
"The world has changed. The consensus we once enjoyed on science and climate action has broken down.
"We will not stand by and that’s why I’ve pledged a new era of British leadership over the next decade."
Dame Madeleine stated she would "work with partners across government and internationally to strengthen our understanding of climate threats, build resilience, and ensure we are better prepared for the challenges ahead."
UnderDame Madeleine , the JIC collaborated on a secret report warning that within five years the UK could begin experiencing national security impacts from the collapse of ecosystems overseas, driven by the climate crisis. These impacts included food shortages, rising food prices, mass migration and conflict among nuclear-armed countries.
The report was suppressed under former prime minister Keir Starmer, but a redacted version was published earlier this year, in the wake of reporting of its contents by The Guardian.
Mr Burnham is scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting on the summit sidelines with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, whose election victory over Flavio Bolsonaro last month was welcomed by environmental campaigners.
The gathering takes place against a backdrop of rising global oil and gas prices triggered by conflict in Iran, which has forced countries to re-evaluate energy strategies.
Questions over Mr Burnham’s environmental commitment have grown amid reports ministers are considering reducing electric vehicle sales targets by roughly a quarter.
Government approval of the Jackdaw gas field in the North Sea has also drawn sharp criticism from campaigners, who are urging the administration to block the even larger Rosebank oil project.
UN secretary general Antonio Guterres warned leaders at Cop31 on Wednesday that "fossil fuels must go the way of the dinosaurs", cautioning that current policies place the planet on a "path to mutually assured destruction".
Ruth Fuller, chief climate adviser at WWF, said: "Any commitments at Cop31 will ring hollow if he allows drilling in the Rosebank oilfield and rolls back on targets for electric vehicles.
"All eyes are on what Andy Burnham does on climate to help bring down food and energy bills in the UK.
"It will either highlight genuine leadership or disappointing lip service."
Ahead of the trip, Mr Burnham sought to underline his green agenda by welcoming a £12 billion investment in offshore wind farms off the Norfolk coast, which includes £1 billion from the state-backed National Wealth Fund.
At Cop31, the prime minister will outline further British backing for the Climate Investment Funds’ Amplifi scheme, designed to attract up to £12 in private investment for every £1 of public expenditure.
He will also endorse Turkey’s proposal to raise the proportion of global energy demand supplied by electricity from 21% to 35% by 2035.
The government plans to publish a clean electrification road map establishing its strategy for affordable and secure energy infrastructure.
The UK currently ranks 15th among G20 nations for energy system electrification, according to research by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit.
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