ActionAid UK says COP30 must lead to action as Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivers his national statement at the leaders' summit in Brazil
Zahra Hdidou, Senior Climate and Resilience Adviser at ActionAid UK, said: “Keir Starmer’s attendance at COP30 shows the UK recognises the need for climate leadership – which is a promising first step to these negotiations. The country owes a climate debt it cannot ignore. Britain built its wealth by burning coal, drilling oil and plundering the resources and lands of the Global South. Now, the people who powered that wealth with their labour and land are paying the price.
"At COP30, words must lead to action. The UK should fund climate solutions by taxing the biggest polluters and using those funds to support the countries' hardest hit, not by trapping communities in debt through costly private loans. Countries need increased loss and damage funding to rebuild from disasters turbo-charged by the climate crisis, such as Hurricane Melissa, without taking on more debt. The Government must also push to deliver a just transition that protects workers and communities both in the UK and globally – one that creates good jobs and follows the leadership of communities on the frontlines of the crisis.
"True justice begins with governments – including the UK – having the political courage to ramp up their ambition in Belém, and ends when people everywhere can build safe, fair and sustainable futures.”
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Spokespeople are available for interview. Please contact the press office to arrange at uk.media@actionaid.org or on 07753 973 486.
About ActionAid UK
ActionAid is an international charity that works with women and girls living in poverty. Our dedicated local staff are changing the world with women and girls. We are ending violence and fighting poverty so that all women, everywhere, can create the future they want