by Jack Montgomery
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government has signalled it is open to discussing climate “reparations” for the likes of Pakistan, as he prepares tax hikes and public service cuts at home in the name of fiscal responsibility.
The Islamic Republic of Pakistan is leading a bloc of countries demanding climate change “reparations” from the West, despite their own less than environmentally friendly behaviour, and British business secretary Grant Shapps MP said the Sunak administration was “accepting the principle there’s a discussion to be had about this” at the COP27 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Egypt, according to The Times.
“We industrialised first and we appreciate the rest of the world needs to be able to bring themselves along as well,” Shapps added, indicating that the Sunak administration is happy to continue the status quo in which China and other non-Western nations can continue to burn coal and enjoy relatively cheap energy while the likes of Britain cripple their industries with anti-carbon policies.
The Telegraph, which is close to Britain’s government Conservative Party, reports that Sunak has already committed to pledging £65.5 million to support green initiatives in the Third World, and will tell COP27 — which he initially said he would skip in order to focus on domestic crises — that “we can turn our struggle against climate change into a global mission for new jobs and clean growth.”