This week the UK government has announced its intention to undertake a new nuclear mission. Keir Starmer indicated that the purchase of 12 US F-35A aircraft will provide the capacity for the UK to threaten states with US-made B61 tactical nuclear bombs. The Ministry of Defence implies that UK pilots …
Deliver Vital Funding
Please ask your M.P. to commit to deliver vital funding to communities hit hardest by climate change here and around the world. Debt relief and innovative financing mechanisms are essential for climate justice Countries that have done the least to contribute to the climate crisis are also the …
Banning killer robots?
“Machines that have the power and discretion to take human lives without human control are politically unacceptable, morally repugnant and should be banned by international law. I reiterate my call for the conclusion of a legally binding instrument by 2026.” These were the words of UN …
COP29 – The Final Scores
What did COP29 achieve? The COP29 summit was a crucial test of global commitments to mobilise resources to avoid the severe damage to populations, species and eco-systems that would accompany a global warming above 1.5 degrees. COP29 failed this test. It identified only $300 billion …
COP29 negotiations overrun with much to do in the final hours.
A draft of the text commits to $1.3 trillion of climate finance per year by 2035, but it is shockingly weak on where this money will come from. Very little is pledged by developed countries. Chiara Martinelli, Director of Climate Action Network Europe, branded the $250 billion target inadequate: …
COP29 – Pedalling to a conclusion
200 cyclists have arrived at Baku, Azerbaijan, having cycled almost 4,000 miles from Paris. We need their passion to be matched in the committee rooms where delegations are hammering out compromises to rescue COP29. The Azerbaijan COP has been described as the ‘climate finance summit’ but …
COP29 – which narrative will prevail?
This is the first of a regular update from COP29. The last two days have given us high-profile media displays as world leaders gathered to set the tone for the next two weeks. Here are two quick observations on the opening session. The UK provided a welcome highlight at the start of …
What must we see at COP29, Baku, Azerbaijan?
We are days away from one of the most important events of the international calendar – the COP Climate Summit. Countries can take actions independently but it is only by setting goals and implementing actions together and agreeing to be accountable for those actions, that we can hope to drive down …
Ukraine – Two tragic years
We are two years on from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. We might refer to this as President Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, firstly because leadership matters in every national context and secondly because Putin has amassed power around him providing him with unchallengeable …
The Government’s re-writing of history
The sedate environment of the House of Lords descended into farce yesterday when Baroness Neville-Rolfe, Minister of State for the Cabinet Office, responded to questions on the Economic Activities of Public Bodies Bill (Anti-Boycott Bill). An extraordinary exchange demonstrated only too clearly why …