Burnham pledges climate leadership in wake of UK drilling approval

The only G7 leader to address COP31 announced a climate envoy and clean energy financing as campaigners question Britain's continued support for fossil fuel projects.MANCHESTER, England (CN) — British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, the only leader from the G7 to address the COP31 climate summit, pledged to restore Britain’s climate leadership Thursday as his government faces criticism for approving production at a North Sea gas field.Speaking at the annual United Nations climate conference in Antalya, Turkey, Burnham reaffirmed Britain’s commitment to reaching net-zero emissions by 2050, urged countries to accelerate their shift toward electricity and announced a new diplomatic role focused on climate-related security risks.He also acknowledged the failure of governments to act quickly enough to prevent global temperatures from exceeding the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above preindustrial levels.“The consensus we once enjoyed on science and climate has gone,” Burnham told delegates. “Climate leadership and action have become more urgent.”His speech comes three weeks after his government approved gas production at the Jackdaw field in the North Sea, raising questions about how its support for domestic fossil fuel production fits with its climate commitments.A ’new era’Burnham said climate change was a national security issue and pledged a “new era of British leadership over the next decade.”The prime minister announced the appointment of Madeleine Alessandri as the U.K.’s first special representative for climate security.He also pledged British support for the Amplify program, which aims to attract 5 billion pounds (about $6.6 billion) in private investment for clean energy projects worldwide.Burnham said the initiative would build on London’s financial sector to turn public funding into larger sums of private investment.The prime minister argued that electrification of transport, heating and industry would improve energy security, create jobs and lower household bills.He pointed to two offshore wind projects approved Wednesday and investments in nuclear technology and steel production as examples of Britain’s efforts to expand its clean energy industries.But the scale of the challenge remains significant.A report released Thursday by Climate Action Tracker at the climate summit estimated that current government policies would result in 2.7 degrees Celsius of warming by 2100, well above the Paris Agreement’s temperature goal.The ‘real test’ of climate leadershipThe government’s decision on Jackdaw has become an early test of Burnham’s environmental credentials.Last month, Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh agreed that the regulator could grant consent for gas production at the field, which was already licensed. The project is expected to increase domestic gas production by about 6% at its peak and supply the country for up to 11 years.The government defended the decision on energy security grounds, saying domestic production would help protect consumers from international price shocks and support hundreds of jobs.The government’s policy remains not to issue new licenses for exploring previously unlicensed oil and gas fields.A decision on the much larger Rosebank oilfield remains outstanding.The project has become a focal point for divisions within the governing center-left Labour Party, with some lawmakers urging ministers to reject it on climate grounds and others arguing it would support jobs and energy security.Oxfam GB climate justice adviser Beth John welcomed Burnham’s decision to attend the summit but questioned whether his government was matching its rhetoric with action.“Showing up is not enough: A crisis of this scale needs substantive action, not just signals,” John said. “The real test of climate leadership is delivery, not declarations.”The dispute extends beyond Britain’s domestic waters.The British government supports the development of the Sea Lion oilfield off the coast of the disputed Falkland Islands — a British overseas territory 300 miles off the southeast coast of Argentina.The major oilfield is estimated to contain 319 million barrels of oil, roughly 73% of recoverable oil at the Rosebank oilfield.Argentina has long maintained its claim of sovereignty over the islands known as Las Malvinas and asked the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea to suspend the project.Argentine President Javier Milei has also threatened to impose economic sanctions on businesses that cooperate on the Sea Lion oilfield project.The Rosebank decision will be the strongest signal of where Burnham’s government is steering British climate policy.Courthouse News reporter James Francis Whitehead is based in England.Subscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads