COP29 Baku: Can Keir Starmer propel the UK into a leadership position on the international stage at climate negotiations?

Under the previous Conservative prime ministers Theresa May and Boris Johnson, the UK played an important role in climate negotiations on the international stage. But Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak signalled a change in direction, reported the Guardian.

But the British government led by Labour leader Keir Starmer is considering further commitments on cutting greenhouse gas emissions. It is likely to make the announcements at the upcoming UN climate summit (COP29) in Baku from November 11, as per the media report.

UK hopes to announce fresh climate target months earlier

Under the 2015 Paris agreement, countries are obliged to submit stringent targets on emissions in February, if the planet is to have any chance of limiting global temperature rises to under 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels.

Ed Miliband, the secretary of state for energy security and net zero in the UK, hopes to announce a fresh target months earlier, and has the support of Prime Minister Starmer. Do you think this approach can propel the country into a leadership position at global climate talks?

Speaking to the Guardian, activists representing developing countries said the global south is ready to accept UK plans for the early publication of its emissions-cutting plan, prominently called a nationally determined contribution (NDC).

Rishi Sunak made little impact at last year’s COP28 Dubai

In the EU, France is usually considered a climate leader under President Emmanuel Macron – but the country is in political turmoil at the moment. Even German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, a robust climate advocate, is encountering political challenges at home.

Former British PM Rishi Sunak made little impact at last year’s COP28 Summit in Dubai, spending markedly less time there than other global leaders and meeting only a handful of them. But the climate conference itself led to several important announcements.