Boris promises a ‘carbon-free’ G7
CLIMATE action will be at the heart of Cornwall’s G7 Summit next month, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has pledged.
He said the meeting of world leaders, to be held at Carbis Bay, St Ives, from June 11 to 13, would be “completely carbon neutral.”
Speaking yesterday at an online climate event convened by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Mr Johnson said Cornwall 2021 would be the first G7 Summit where every member committed to cutting emissions to net zero by 2050.
He congratulated Mrs Merkel for her pledge to cut German emissions to net zero by 2045, but, in a message underlining the green focus of the Cornwall meeting, he added: “In Cornwall, I want to see much more.
“I will be seeking commitments for G7 members to use their voices and their votes wherever and whenever possible to support the transition to net zero, kick-start a green industrial revolution and build economies that can withstand whatever our changing climate throws at us.”
One of the reasons Mr Johnson chose Cornwall to host the prestigious meeting of the top seven industrialised nations, along with invited guests, was because of its leading place in developing green technology. He said of the work towards net zero: “I hope to secure a substantial pile of cash to help all countries to do that.
“We simply must meet our existing commitments on climate finance – that long-overdue [US] $100 billiona-year target and then we must go further still.
“Developed nations can’t stop climate change on their own but, if we want others to leapfrog the dirty
technology that did so much for us, we have a moral and practical obligation to help them to do so.
“That means putting our money where our mouth is,” he added, pointing to the UK’s recent doubling of its climate finance contribution.
Cornish business leaders have hailed the G7 talks as a chance for Cornwall to showcase its own green credentials as a centre for environmentally friendly powergenerating technologies, from floating offshore wind farms to lithium mines digging out the raw materials for batteries to power electric cars.
Kim Conchie, chief executive of Cornwall Chamber of Commerce, has said that Cornwall boasts precisely the sort of economy the world needs as it moves to a carbon-free future. He pointed to “floating offshore wind, our digital businesses, our premium food and drink businesses [which are] produced ethically and with a huge interest in provenance”.
However, the event is likely to attract environmental protesters too – and the police and local authority leaders are already making plans to keep demonstrations well away from the national leaders flying in from the United States, Canada, Japan, France, Italy and Germany, as well as guests from Australia, South Africa and South Korea.
Protests have already been held outside Carbis Bay Hotel, which was criticised for removing trees and other vegetation without planning permission to create meeting rooms for the Summit.