Prime minister Rishi Sunak is set to announce a funding pledge of £1.6 billion ($2 billion) during the UN climate summit on Friday (1), as an effort to enhance his green credentials, following the alterations made to Britain's measures aimed at achieving net zero, targets.
Sunak, in Dubai for COP28 Leaders' Day, will try to restore Britain's reputation as a leader in tackling climate change by committing to spend the most new money on projects in Africa and Asia to tackle deforestation and energy innovation.
But he will also underline Britain's "pragmatic" approach to climate change, a description he has stuck with since he was criticised by environmental campaigners for delaying a ban on sales of new petrol cars, easing the transition to heat pumps and granting new North Sea drilling licences.
Running way behind the opposition Labour Party in the polls before a national election expected next year, Sunak's team believes voters will only support measures to tackle climate change when, or if, they are affordable.
"The world made ambitious pledges at previous COP summits to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees. But the time for pledges is now over – this is the era for action," Sunak said in a statement.
"The transition to net zero should make us all safer and better off. It must benefit, not burden ordinary families. The UK has led the way in taking pragmatic, long-term decisions at home."
The funding, which will be announced during the two-week summit, includes up to £500 million to tackle the causes of deforestation, 316 million for energy innovation projects around the world and up to 60 million for loss and damage.
King Charles, a long-time environmental campaigner, will give the opening address to the summit, calling on world leaders to acknowledge the repeated warning signs of the impact of climate change and take "genuine transformational action."
(Reuters)
Clifford had previously pleaded guilty to the murders of BBC sports commentator John Hunt’s wife and two daughters at their home in northwest of London, in July 2024. (Photo: Hertfordshire Police /Handout via REUTERS)
Crossbow murderer found guilty of raping ex-girlfriend
A 26-YEAR-OLD man who murdered three women in a crossbow and stabbing attack has been found guilty of raping one of them, his ex-girlfriend, a British court ruled on Thursday.
Kyle Clifford had previously pleaded guilty to the murders of BBC sports commentator John Hunt’s wife and two daughters at their home in Bushey, northwest of London, in July 2024.
The attack led to a manhunt before Clifford was found injured hours later in a north London cemetery.
A jury at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday convicted Clifford of raping 25-year-old Louise Hunt before killing her.
His sentencing for all the crimes is scheduled for Tuesday.
Clifford had admitted to murdering Carol Hunt, 61, and her daughters Louise and Hannah, 28. He had also pleaded guilty to charges of false imprisonment and possessing offensive weapons but denied raping Louise.
During the trial, the court heard that after killing Carol Hunt, Clifford waited for an hour before attacking Louise, tying her up, raping her, and then killing her with a crossbow. He later killed Hannah when she returned home from work.
The prosecution described Clifford, a former soldier, as committing a "violent, sexual act of spite" and said he was "enraged" after Louise ended their 18-month relationship. They told the court that he had "carefully planned" the attack.
Less than 24 hours before the killings, Clifford had searched for a podcast by social media influencer Andrew Tate, according to the prosecution. They argued that the murders were driven by the "violent misogyny promoted" by Tate.
Justice Joel Bennathan called Clifford’s crimes "dreadful" and "almost unspeakable".
(With inputs from AFP)