- LONDON: King Charles III will address the opening of the COP28 climate conference in the United Arab Emirates, Buckingham Palace said on Wednesday.
The lifelong environmentalist spoke at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Scotland in 2021, but did not attend the recent conference in Egypt, reportedly over the objections of the UK Prime Minister at the time, Liz Truss.
The Palace said in a statement that the British Head of State received an invitation to attend the opening ceremony of the Global Climate Action Summit by the President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, on December 1.She added, “The King will deliver an opening speech at the summit hosted by the President of the UAE in Dubai.”In a speech on Wednesday at the UN office in Nairobi, where he is participating in a state visit, Charles called for unity among nations ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP28).“If left unchecked, global warming, biodiversity loss and climate change are challenges that threaten us all and can only be met by the entire community working together in a spirit of action, partnership and commitment,” he said.The tough climate talks to be held in Dubai from November 30 to December 12 will be the 28th gathering of world leaders under the auspices of the United Nations and known as COPs, short for Conference of the Parties.Charles was reportedly advised not to attend the UN Climate Change Conference (COP27) by Truss, who was skeptical about her predecessor Boris Johnson’s commitments to decarbonise the UK economy.The palace downplayed any disagreement with Truss, who lasted only 49 days in power, saying the decision was made “with mutual love and respect.”Truss’ successor, Rishi Sunak, initially decided not to go to Sharm el-Sheikh, but eventually went for the summit in the Red Sea resort.Instead, Charles hosted a reception for 200 “international business leaders, policymakers and NGOs” two days before the start of the Egypt summit.
