Newspaper column 17 November - Looking back at COP26

Over the weekend on Remembrance Sunday it was an honour, as always to join the civic events in St Austell and Newquay to pay tribute to and remember those who serve and have served in our armed forces in past and present conflicts.

After last year’s scaled back formal services because of the pandemic, it was good to stand with veterans and people from across our community and take part in these acts of remembrance. Thank you to the Royal British Legion and all involved in their organisation.

This past weekend also saw the close of the United Nations Climate Change Conference Summit COP26, which was held in Glasgow.

As the conference came to its conclusion, members signed the Glasgow Climate Pact, which commits countries to phase down unabated coal, supports a just transition for developing countries and action to tackle loss and damage, and agrees for the first time a common timeframe and method for national commitments on emissions reductions.

The pact signed seeks to phase down unabated coal power and phasing out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies, cutting emissions as we move towards low emission energy. The Pact calls on countries to accelerate efforts towards the phasedown of unabated coal power and phase-out of inefficient fossil fuel subsidies, while providing targeted support to the poorest and most vulnerable in line with national circumstances and recognising the need for support towards a just transition.

As well as this, the pact also commits to raise $100 billion annually for climate finance through to 2025, helping developing countries tackle climate change. The Pact urges developed countries to fully deliver on the $100 billion goal urgently and through to 2025, and emphasises the importance of transparency in the implementation of their pledges.

The pact also commits countries to return next year with a more ambitious 2030 emissions reductions target in line with the 1.5C target, ensuring we maintain crucial momentum on climate action this decade. The UK will continue to push for greater action on reducing emissions and supporting developing countries with finance and access to new green technology over the next year of our COP Presidency, before Egypt take on the mantle.

It also signs up more countries to be Net Zero, protecting our planet for future generations. At least 90 per cent of the global economy is now covered by net zero commitments, up from 30 per cent when the UK took on the COP presidency in 2019.

This Pact builds on the progress we have made on coal, cars and trees throughout the summit. 65 countries have now committed to phasing out the use of coal power. Over 30 countries and some of the world’s largest car makers have committed to work together to make all new car sales zero emission globally by 2040, and by 2035 in leading markets, building on the UK’s commitment to end the sale of all new petrol and diesel cars by 2030. More than 130 leaders, representing over 90 per cent of the world’s forests, pledged at COP26 to end deforestation by 2030, backed by almost £14 billion of public and private funding.

There is still a huge amount more to do in the coming years and the agreements reached are not perfect, but we are now in a much better position to achieve these goals, both short and long term, to tackle climate change, than we were in before the conference.

As always, my office is available for any constituents needing help, advice or guidance. Please do get in touch if I can help – tel. 01726 829379, email – office@stevedouble.org.uk

Newspaper column 10 November - Taking time to remember

It has been a turbulent week in politics, however, this week is a time of contemplation and solemn reflection as we mark Armistice Day on 11 November and have Remembrance Sunday this coming weekend.

The impact of World War 1, the vast conflict that led to these events being marked annually, cannot be under-stated. The total number of military and civilian casualties in World War I, was around 40 million. There were 20 million deaths and 21 million wounded. The total number of deaths includes 9.7 million military personnel and about 10 million civilians.

The impact on a generation was profound and the consequences far-reaching and felt to this day. In Mid-Cornwall communities suffered tremendously, with a generation of young men called away to fight, never to return, leaving small and fragile communities in a perilous state because the manual workers were no longer there to keep business and industry running.

The Duke of Cornwall’s light infantry alone lost 4,510 men during the course of the war, all fathers, brothers and sons whose loss would have been felt keenly in their communities and down through the years.

And we lost our own serving Member of Parliament Thomas ‘Tommy’ Agar-Robartes, who I always think about at this time of year, who along with 23 MP’s died in service during the war.

The Great War, as it was known at the time was also called the ‘War to end all wars’ but sadly this did not come to pass, and in subsequent Remembrance Sundays, we remember those who have given their lives serving our country in other wars since, including the Second World War and more recently right up to the recent Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts.

It is fitting that we normally mark these occasions with formal services of remembrance. Last year however we were unable to, due to the far-reaching impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, so this year a return to the organised events, with the excellent support of the Royal British Legion, churches and town and parish councils across the land, is even more poignant.

As we look towards marking and remembering these occasions this week, it is always good to bear in mind that while in the present we are able to argue and debate over matters that are important to us, those important freedoms and our democratic right to do so were hard won by those who people who paid the ultimate sacrifice so that we might live free in the future. Sometimes it seems easy to take our democratic freedoms for granted and lose sight of just how valuable they are and the huge price that was paid by previous generations to secure our freedoms.

We must also cherish the surviving veterans of past conflict, and as the numbers of those who served in the Second World War inevitably fall, it is particularly appropriate to treasure those we have left, and I particularly must mention our own Harry Billinge MBE, a D-Day Veteran who has tirelessly fundraised for the British Normandy Memorial, which he was finally able to visit recently. Thank you Harry for everything you have done.

And alongside those who have served and given their lives in the past, we must also be grateful to the men and women who serve today in our armed forces, putting themselves in danger to protect our way of life and keep others around the world safe from harm every day, as well as for their efforts in supporting the national response and recovery from the pandemic.

So this Armistice Day, and on Remembrance Sunday, let us remember the men and women who gave their lives for us in the past and honour those who continue to risk their lives today.

As always, my office is available for any constituents needing help, advice or guidance. Please do get in touch if I can help – tel. 01726 829379, email – office@stevedouble.org.uk