I want us to show the world that Great Britain really is a green and pleasant land
GLASGOW was the driving force of the industrial revolution as shipbuilder to the world, constructing the vessels which powered global commerce.
Now, it is at the heart of the new global economy, building more satellites than anywhere else in Europe and pioneering clean, green energy, with the UK’s largest onshore wind farm nearby.
I have seen for myself how Glasgow, not far from my childhood home of Paisley, has become an engine for our green industrial revolution. Its success shows how free enterprise and innovation are vital in building back better from the pandemic while also accelerating our transition to net zero.
Today, we are bringing together the largest ever gathering of Presidents and Prime Ministers on British soil as we host the UN Climate Change Conference, COP26.
I am looking forward to joining them in Glasgow, where we will work to champion the clean innovation which will secure a greener world and more jobs and opportunities for people across the country.
The entrepreneurs, innovators, engineers and factory workers who are building the technologies we need are the real heroes of the environmental movement.
The workers helping to build wind farms in Glasgow and in the North East of England, or the Rolls-Royce workers in Derby who are setting the standard for nuclear power with the next generation of small modular reactors, are powering the new green economy.
Just as we are proud of our history as the birthplace of the industrial revolution, we should be proud that we are leading the green industrial revolution today.
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We are harnessing hydrogen, marking world firsts by using it to power everything from buses in Aberdeen to a brewery in South Wales.
We are leading the way in wind power, with workers in Teesside helping to build what will be the world’s largest offshore wind farm.
We also have manufacturers like Nissan building cutting-edge electric cars in Sunderland.
This is not just vital for our economic success, but also for driving progress around the world.
I have been working flat out to deepen our economic, diplomatic and development ties with our international friends and partners.
This is key to advancing the new greener global economy that we want to see, built on free enterprise and innovation – an economy that embraces the clean tech of the future rather than burning coal.
We also need to respond to the impacts of climate change that are already being felt across the world.
These effects are often at their worst in poorer countries.
We need to see a global response this week that matches the scale of the problem.
That’s why we are stepping up efforts with our partners to support those countries, including by financing clean, green, climate-resilient infrastructure – ports, roads and more – that is reliable and trustworthy.
We need to unlock financing for this infrastructure and get more investment into the places where it is needed most.
By working together with our allies to co-invest in developing countries we are helping the world’s poorest countries take advantage of the benefits of new clean innovation, benefiting their economies, our businesses, and the planet.
WIN-WIN
That is a win-win.
We have shown at home that a green economy can be achieved alongside economic success, creating jobs and opportunities.
Over the last three decades we have already reduced our emissions by 44 per cent, while growing our economy by over 75 per cent.
Just a few days ago we set out our detailed strategy for reaching net zero emissions by 2050.
There are already 200,000 people directly working across the UK in low carbon industries.
This could reach almost 1.2 million in England alone by 2050.
We are leading by example this week in Glasgow, rallying a global coalition to tackle the climate crisis.
We are determined to see action on coal, cars, cash and trees to preserve our natural environment and limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels and prevent the worst impacts of climate change.
One of the things we want to make progress on in Glasgow is tackling devastating deforestation globally. In the last two decades, the world has lost almost 100 million hectares of forest – that is equivalent to more than 4 times the size of the UK.
But now, we have the opportunity to reverse that by stopping deforestation and planting more trees.
For me, this is personal. I was the first Secretary of State to pledge to plant a million more trees across the UK.
I created the UK’s largest national park, protecting the Yorkshire Dales and the Lake District for generations to come.
I want us to show the world that our country really is a green and pleasant land.
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Now is the time to work closer with our friends and allies to harness the clean, green jobs-creating machine that is free enterprise.
That is how we will power the green industrial revolution, tackle climate change, and pave the way to a brighter future.
Join The Sun's Green Team
THE Sun today encourages its army of readers to make at least one lifestyle change to slow the advance of climate change.
Everyone can get involved.
We’ve teamed up with the global campaign Count Us In to calculate how much carbon you will be saving by ditching old habits.
Remember even small changes help.
Find a step that’s right for you and your family. Keep it up for at least two months and see how you do. It might become a habit.
When you’re ready, try another step. All these will add to change. We’ll get there together.
Visit and pledge to one or more lifestyle changes.
It could save you money and all of your actions will go toward a global goal of getting a billion people to make changes.
1. - Going meat-free for a day brings the same carbon saving as not driving for a month.
2. - The average UK family throws away £700 of food a year.
3. - With energy prices rocketing this will save you money.
4. - Stop heating the sky with heat escaping through your roof.
5. - We ditch the equivalent of 250 t-shirts a year.
6. one extra journey a day - petrol cars emit twice as much pollution in their first five minutes of use, so even short journeys add to climate change.