UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham warns climate crisis is imminent at COP31
Andy Burnham told delegates at COP31 that the climate crisis is already affecting lives worldwide and reaffirmed the UK's commitment to net-zero by 2050 while announcing a new climate-security envoy.
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham addressed delegates on the opening day of COP31 in Antalya, saying the climate crisis is "upon us now" and is already devastating lives and livelihoods. He highlighted the impact of recent wars on energy prices and warned that the world is on track to breach the 1.5°C temperature target.
Burnham reiterated the United Kingdom's pledge to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 and announced the creation of the country's first special representative for climate security, Madeleine Alessandri, to advise on national-security risks linked to climate change.
"The climate crisis is not a distant threat, it is upon us now, devastating lives and livelihoods everywhere," Burnham said.
He praised domestic clean-energy projects such as wind farms and electrified steel factories, and pointed to falling costs for electric vehicles and heat pumps, urging industry to help make the transition affordable for all income groups.
Burnham also noted that the consensus on climate science has eroded and called for stronger international cooperation, urging partners to meet their own emissions targets.
Reactions from environmental groups were mixed. Greenpeace UK’s head of politics, Ami McCarthy, said the speech hit key points but was undermined by announcements on a new oilfield and potential weakening of electric-vehicle targets. Friends of the Earth chief executive Asad Rehman called the proposals a "veneer of climate action" that distracts from deeper reforms.
Other leaders at the summit, including the prime minister of Niue, the president of Kiribati, and representatives from Venezuela and the Seychelles, echoed calls for faster fossil-fuel phase-out, greater climate finance, and recognition of climate breakdown as a security threat.
A report by Climate Action Tracker released during the talks warned that, under current policies, global warming is projected to reach 2.7°C by the end of the century, well above the 1.5°C limit, and that even full implementation of existing pledges would leave warming at about 1.9°C.