Theresa May: UK to
ratify Paris climate change deal this year
Prime minister uses
maiden UN speech to make emissions pledge which will be received with
relief by green campaigners
Rowena Mason Deputy
political editor and Adam Vaughan
Tuesday 20 September
2016 20.35 BST
Theresa May has
given her first major commitment that Britain will continue to tackle
climate change after leaving the EU, as she promised to ratify the
Paris agreement by the end of the year.
Breakthrough as US
and China agree to ratify Paris climate deal
Read more
The prime minister
used her maiden speech at the United Nations in New York to say the
UK remained determined to “play our part in the international
effort against climate change … In a demonstration of our
commitment to the agreement reached in Paris, the UK will start its
domestic procedures to enable ratification of the Paris agreement and
complete these before the end of the year,” she said.
The UK was party to
negotiations as part of the EU and will be expected to take on
emissions reductions based on an EU-wide “burden-sharing”
agreement, which is yet to be worked out.
May’s decision to
speed up ratification will relieve green campaigners and charities
amid worries that the new prime minister could start retreating from
Britain’s position as a leader on tackling climate change after
leaving the EU. She has rarely spoken about the subject in the past
and was accused of a regressive step when she abolished the
Department of Energy and Climate Change after taking office.
However, pressure on
the prime minister to agree to ratify the deal intensified after
China and the US made a joint declaration that they would do so
earlier in the month.
A UK official said
the prime minister’s announcement was “absolutely a reflection of
her commitment to delivering on that international agreement where
the UK has been at the forefront of efforts”.
The UK negotiated at
the Paris climate talks as part of the EU, which is a major emitter
but is not expected to ratify this year. Member states can also
ratify separately. France, which hosted last December’s summit,
ratified in June and François Hollande has called on countries to
redouble their efforts to ratify before the next major UN climate
summit in Marrakesh in November.
Greg Clark, the
secretary of state for business, said: “The government is
determined to tackle climate change to help create a safer and more
prosperous future for us all. That is why we are now starting the
process of ratifying the landmark climate deal signed in Paris.”
Greenpeace gave a
qualified welcome to the announcement. Its executive director, John
Sauven, said: “This signal is a welcome moment of clarity amidst
the all-pervading Brexit uncertainty, but it could have come with a
much speedier timetable. Some of the world’s major economies have
already ratified the Paris deal. So why is the UK government taking
so long?”
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