Qatar’s role in building a greener world will be ‘crucial,’ British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said during the Qatar Economic Forum Powered by Bloomberg yesterday.
Speaking at the virtual event, Johnson said meeting global targets for cutting climate emissions is simply a matter of will.
“I am delighted to address the Qatar Economic Forum, and I am grateful to the Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani for providing this opportunity to offer a vision of the world we must all create together after the pandemic,” Johnson said.
“There’s no reason why humanity should not prosper and save our planet at the same time. We have ingenuity and the tech to achieve both all that remains to do is to summon the will, and Qatar’s role in building back greener will, of course, be crucial,” he added.
According to Johnson, the UK has cut carbon emissions by 44% at the same time in the last 30 years, growing the economy by 78 percent in the same period.
He added that the UK gets only 2 percent of its electricity from coal compared to 40 percent only a decade ago, as it aims to eliminate coal by 2024.
“If we are to limit the increasing global temperature to 1.5 degrees, then our scientists say that by the middle of the century, the amount of carbon we produce and the amount that nature mercifully removes from the atmosphere should be in balance. It is precisely because that vital goal can only be achieved by the common effort of every nation that Britain will bring the world together for the COP26 (United Nations Climate Change Conference) in Glasgow in November,” Johnson said.
The British PM, whose country is still in a lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, also called on leaders to ensure a greener post-pandemic recovery to ensure a sustainable planet for future generations.
“This is the moment to break with the past and revive the global economy in a way that protects the planet and fulfils our obligations to future generations by investing in new infrastructure and encouraging innovation. We can create jobs and level up so that no one is left behind. There’s no contradiction between achieving this ambition and protecting our planet.”
