The UK government went to COP29 with the stated intention to show renewed global leadership on climate. And we did see some actions behind these words. The Prime Minister was the only leader from G7 countries to attend the conference. And the UK was the only rich country to announce a new target to cut UK emissions by 81% by 2035. While we had hoped the UK would go even further considering its historical responsibility and its wealth, this was definitely an important step forward.
However, when it comes to the climate finance deal, we would have wanted to see much more from the UK. While the UK position was slightly more flexible than other rich countries, we didn’t see it champion a truly ambitious goal.
The minimum the UK and other rich countries can now do is to quickly meet the $300 billion so-called ‘deal’ and consider it as a floor, not a ceiling. The government must also ensure that it is new money, provided in grants and that it properly supports communities recovering from the losses and damages caused by climate disasters.