COP 27: Commitments

Lord Prescott Excerpts

Thursday 24th November 2022 Lords Chamber

[Lord Prescott (Lab)]

[Summary of Lord Prescott’s speech]

As a Member of Parliament in the other place for a long time—I was there from 1997—I made recommendations on all matters of climate change. I have tried to come to this Chamber and get back to doing the work that I was doing a long time ago. It was a major question—and this country has had some major achievements, along with other nations. I have learned a lot from that, in looking at what has happened since that period. I was very proud to take the regional chair at COP 3 in 1997.

There are only so many times this can be put forward. It has been a tragedy. All countries had hoped there would be a statement to be made on CO₂ which would make things better. We can hope to have a better achievement and that it will go on to include other countries.

It is good that we are having this debate. I was not here for the last discussion on this in this House, about 10 days ago, but I wanted to say that we have an opportunity to make progress, and that is crucial. But with all the claims that have been made about these measures, they have not achieved what was said would happen, in the way that we set out to at the start. After those days spent at the COP, we are the only country that has failed to produce what we said we would.

I am very pleased to be here again—and I thank noble Lords.