Foreign Secretary speech on climate security at COP31

Official Statements

• British Government, November 12: “Thank you so much, and can I welcome everyone to this very, very important event. I do feel really excited that we are convening this event today. You know, there are events you do at COP where you feel like you are talking about the same issues that you’ve talked about before, and they are worthwhile if you can move them forward a little.”

• British Government, November 12: “I feel on this we are breaking new ground and really driving forward and co-creating a new agenda - an agenda that is overdue. Frankly, if I quote somebody in the room, Monique Barbeau, who is with us, said at the event we did at UNGA that she’d been waiting some years for people to be talking properly about these issues.”

• British Government, November 12: “So I’m really delighted that you’re all here. I’m delighted to have Sarah moderating this event and I really want to say a very few things just by way of short introduction to that. [...]”

• British Government, November 12: “We’ve got ministers from countries such as Chad, Somalia, Yemen, Syria and South Sudan who are contending with the daily reality of climate breakdown for their populations. And the most important thing, from my point of view, is that this is a chance to hear from all of you about how climate breakdown is hitting your countries.”

• British Government, November 12: “I’m also delighted to have with me Madeleine Alessandri who, as of today, has been announced by the Prime Minister as our new Special Representative for Climate Security. For those of you who don’t know, Madeleine has an incredibly distinguished record, latterly as Chair of the Joint Intelligence Committee in the United Kingdom.”

• British Government, November 12: “So, somebody with a security background who cares deeply about climate issues, and she is going to be a fantastic asset to us, and I hope to all of you, in the work we do in this area. Let me just make a few short points. First, there is an urgent need, I think, to treat climate breakdown as a security issue, a global security issue, and to push it further up the multilateral agenda. [...]”

• British Government, November 12: “Frankly, if you think about the ways in which we transitioned, maybe 10 or more years ago, from climate being an issue simply about future generations to it being an issue of energy security today, I think this is, if you like, the next step, which is to make clear that this is now a security issue. Whether it’s food security, infrastructure security, population movement, which is affecting so many countries, and to really explain to people that the case for climate action is in part this security case.”

• British Government, November 12: “And I know that so many countries are already grappling with this. I don’t need to tell you how important this is. Secondly, having said that it’s a security issue, saying it is not enough. What can we do about it? And, in particular, the need to overhaul climate financing for fragile states. And this focus on fragile states that we have today, I think, is very, very important.”

• British Government, November 12: “We know that the most vulnerable countries are often the least well supported. Those that face the most severe crises receive just $2 per person in climate finance, compared to $162 per person in non-crisis settings. And the support that countries do get is fragmented and uncoordinated. And we need to do more.”

• British Government, November 12: “And there are some good examples in Somalia, for example, access to the Green Climate Fund. Thirdly, we need to reform the global financial architecture to do more to deal with these issues, including improving resilience, helping countries to improve resilience in the face of extreme weather events.”

• British Government, November 12: “I suppose, bringing all this together, I would say that my focus in this area is on talking about these issues because I think it’s important that we recognise how much of a threat to security climate breakdown is. Secondly, working out how we can help countries to better prepare for the crises that are going to hit: early-warning systems, insurance, a whole range of issues. And then, thirdly, how can we better coordinate when disaster strikes so we have proper responsiveness?”

• British Government, November 12: “For the discussion, I wanted to pose three questions, really: How can we ensure climate is recognised and acted on as a security issue? What is holding back the necessary scale-up of climate finance and private investment in fragile states? And then, very pressingly for us, what are the greatest opportunities for progress in this area as the UK takes up our G20 Presidency? Last point I’ll make. The Prime Minister made this point in his National Statement today.”

• British Government, November 12: “We’re an interconnected world. You know, we’re an interconnected world morally, but also, frankly, pragmatically. Morally, because problems in one country are the concerns of all of us, but also because all of these things link up, and security for one country is also security for all countries. So I think that the answer to this massive challenge is around multilateralism, working together. That’s certainly what the UK wants to do, and I really look forward to hearing your insights and thoughts today.”