Time to act faster on climate change: Rishi Sunak at COP27
London (PTI): British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Monday declared that it was time to act faster on climate change because it is the right thing to do as he committed 11.6 billion pounds as the country's commitment to the climate fund during his address at the COP27 summit in Egypt.
In his first major address on the world stage since taking charge at 10 Downing Street, the Indian-origin leader pointed to green energy investment as a "fantastic source of new jobs and growth" as he pledged to build on the room for hope created during the UK's presidency of COP26 in Scotland last November.
He also used his speech to pay tribute to COP26 President, Indian-origin former minister Alok Sharma, "for his inspiring work" to deliver on the Glasgow climate pact of last year.
[Russian President] Putin's abhorrent war in Ukraine and rising energy prices across the world are not a reason to go slow on climate change they are a reason to go faster," said Sunak, in his relatively short address at the summit being held in Sharm El Sheikh.
"Instead of developing countries being unfairly burdened with the carbon debt of richer nations and somehow expected to forgo that same path to growth, we are helping those countries deliver their own fast track to clean growth," he said.
Sunak referenced a speech by the late Queen Elizabeth II to the COP26 summit last year, where she said there was "hope" for the climate if countries come together.
"She reflected how history has shown when nations come together in common cause, there is always room for hope. I believe we found room for hope in Glasgow with one last chance to create a plan that would limit global temperature rises to 1.5 degrees, we made the promises to keep that goal within reach. And the question today is this can we summon the collective will to deliver them? I believe we can," he said.
The UK Prime Minister reflected on the fact 90 per cent of countries are now signed up to net zero targets even as he admitted the pandemic "all but broke" the global economy.
"But I can tell you today the United Kingdom is delivering on our commitment of 11.6 billion pounds, and as part of this we will now triple our funding on adaptation to 1.5 billion pounds by 2025, he said, adding that he profoundly believed it is the right thing to do.
Listen to Prime Minister Motley of Barbados as she describes the existential threat posed by the ravages of climate change, or look at the devastating floods in Pakistan where the area underwater is the same size as the entire United Kingdom.
When you see 33 million people displaced, with disease rife and spreading through the water, you know it is morally right to honour our promises. But it is also economically right too. Climate security goes hand-in-hand with energy security," Sunak said.
Sunak called on nations to honour the promises made in Glasgow and direct public and private finance towards the protection of the planet, which would turn the struggle against climate change into a global mission for new jobs and clean growth.
"And we can bequeath our children a greener planet and a more prosperous future. That's a legacy we could be proud of. So, as we come together once again in common cause today, there really is room for hope. Together, let us fulfil it," he noted.
Earlier on Monday, he held a series of bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the summit in Egypt, including his first in-person interaction with French President Emmannuel Macron and European Commission President Urusula Von Der Leyen.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Israel launches first airstrike on Lebanon since ceasefire, accusing Hezbollah of breaching truce
Beirut, Nov 28: The Israeli military on Thursday said its warplanes fired on southern Lebanon after detecting Hezbollah activity at a rocket storage facility, the first Israeli airstrike a day after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took hold.
There was no immediate word on casualties from Israel's aerial attack, which came hours after the Israeli military said it fired on people trying to return to certain areas in southern Lebanon. Israel said they were violating the ceasefire agreement, without providing details. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said two people were wounded.
The back-to-back incidents stirred unease about the agreement, brokered by the United States and France, which includes an initial two-month ceasefire in which Hezbollah members are to withdraw north of the Litani River and Israeli forces are to return to their side of the border. The buffer zone would be patrolled by Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers.
On Thursday, the second day of a ceasefire after more than a year of bloody conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, Lebanon's state news agency reported that Israeli fire targeted civilians in Markaba, close to the border, without providing further details. Israel said it fired artillery in three other locations near the border. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
An Associated Press reporter in northern Israel near the border heard Israeli drones buzzing overhead and the sound of artillery strikes from the Lebanese side.
The Israeli military said in a statement that “several suspects were identified arriving with vehicles to a number of areas in southern Lebanon, breaching the conditions of the ceasefire.” It said troops “opened fire toward them” and would “actively enforce violations of the ceasefire agreement.”
Israeli officials have said forces will be withdrawn gradually as it ensures that the agreement is being enforced. Israel has warned people not to return to areas where troops are deployed, and says it reserves the right to strike Hezbollah if it violates the terms of the truce.
A Lebanese military official said Lebanese troops would gradually deploy in the south as Israeli troops withdraw. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.
The ceasefire agreement announced late Tuesday ended 14 months of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that began a day after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack out of Gaza, when the Lebanese Hezbollah group began firing rockets, drones and missiles in solidarity.
Israel retaliated with airstrikes, and the conflict steadily intensified for nearly a year before boiling over into all-out war in mid-September. The war in Gaza is still raging with no end in sight.
More than 3,760 people were killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon during the conflict, many of them civilians, according to Lebanese health officials. The fighting killed more than 70 people in Israel — over half of them civilians — as well as dozens of Israeli soldiers fighting in southern Lebanon.
Some 1.2 million people were displaced in Lebanon, and thousands began streaming back to their homes on Wednesday despite warnings from the Lebanese military and the Israeli army to stay out of certain areas. Some 50,000 people were displaced on the Israeli side, but few have returned and the communities near the northern border are still largely deserted.
In Menara, an Israeli community on the border with views into Lebanon, around three quarters of homes are damaged, some with collapsed roofs and burnt-out interiors. A few residents could be seen gathering their belongings on Thursday before leaving again.
