Liberal Democrats declare: "We can't afford more climate failures"

After another UN Climate Change Conference in Dubai in December, and the Met Office revealing the two hottest years on record are 2022 and 2023, Liberal Democrats are calling again for the government to start delivering on the promises made on our behalf.

If the world is going to take action and make the agreements so desperately needed, then the next two years will be critical – and three things need to happen.

First, we need to see nations deliver on their existing promises fast – including the UK, where, like too many other countries, we are not on course to meet our own “nationally determined” target.

Second, we need a huge international political effort between now and Brazil’s COP30 in 2025, to remove the remaining barriers to a dramatic shift in global direction.

Third, we need politics and technology to deliver the combination of leadership and confidence that made the Paris Climate Agreement of 2015 possible – the last COP that really did move the dial. 

Liberal Democrat Parliamentary candidate for West Worcestershire Dan Boatright-Greene says: "Although it is welcome when countries come together, climate change conferences rarely deliver. As expected, Dubai’s COP28 was another disappointing summit. Despite hype that the agreement saw “the beginning of the end for fossil fuels”, the actual text was undermined with loopholes and flawed by the absence of timescales."

"This sad reality was only confirmed by the most independent of judges – the markets. The share prices of the oil and gas majors didn’t move. And as emissions continue to rise and the world continues to heat up, we just can’t afford more such failures."

"It is time we had MPs who stood by their word. Back in 2019 parliament declared a climate emergency. And yet we now have a Prime Minister rolling back on commitments by approving a coal mine and delaying the introduction of electric vehicles and refusing  a real commitment to  a carbon neutral future. Voting Liberal Democrat at the next General Election will make sure West Worcestershire has an MP focused on clean air, protecting our green spaces and making sure our environment is protected for generations to come."

You can read the full plan from the Liberal Democrats here.