UK appoints world’s first ‘climate security’ envoy

Detailed summary

ANTALYA: British Prime Minister Andy Burnham on Thursday named a special envoy for “climate security”, the first such post in the world, to help the ...

ANTALYA: British Prime Minister Andy Burnham on Thursday named a special envoy for “climate security”, the first such post in the world, to help the country prepare for the growing impacts of global warming.

In a speech to the UN’s COP31 climate summit in Antalya, Turkey, the Labour leader recalled spending his first three weeks as prime minister this summer responding to the worst wildfires in Britain’s history.

“I decided then it was important for me to be here to show British leadership in a world where climate issues have taken too much of a backseat,” said Burnham, the only Group of Seven (G7) leader attending the summit.

Britain and the rest of western Europe had their hottest summer on record, with a succession of heatwaves and wildfires. The heat caused tens of thousands of excess deaths across the continent.

“Climate is a national security issue,” Burnham said. “As evidence of that, I am today announcing the appointment of Dame Madeleine Alessandri as the first UK special representative for climate security.”

Alessandri is a former head of the UK’s Joint Intelligence Committee, which briefs ministers on security threats.

“In this role, I will work with partners across government and internationally to strengthen our understanding of climate threats, build resilience and ensure we are better prepared for the challenges ahead,” Alessandri said in a statement.

Britain also has a climate minister, Katie White, who is in Antalya for the COP31 talks, due to end on Nov 20.

Cosima Cassel, an expert at climate think tank E3G, said many countries have climate envoys whose remit includes climate security. “This is the first climate security envoy specifically,” she told AFP. “This appointment elevates that issue to the level it deserves, and other governments should consider a similar model.”

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