The British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, has announced that he will not attend the upcoming Climate Summit in Egypt (COP27). which has not been well received. This decision has caused controversy as it can be seen as a lack of interest in stopping climate changebut Sunak has justified himself by saying that it is because at the same time he is about to start facing the “deplorable economic challenges” facing the country.

Likewise, he has balked at criticism made by opposition leader, Keir Starmer, who accused Sunak of “failing in leadership” following the announcement. “No. The leadership we have shown at the climate level is unmatched in most parts of the world”, insisted the UK ‘premier’, who said he felt “very passionate” and “personally committed” to leaving a better planet for future generations.

“I think it’s appropriate at this point that I also focus on the grim domestic challenges we have with the economy. I think that’s what people expect of me,” Sunak said, according to SkyNews.

In addition, the Minister of the Environment Therese Coffey, has stepped out to protect her prime minister by ensuring that she will be present at the climate summit and that Sunak’s absence was partly justified because “large COPs tend to be every five years.”

Sunak’s decision not to attend the meeting quickly drew criticism from international organizations such as Greenpeace, which criticized the prime minister for not taking the climate challenge “serious enough.” From the opposition bench, apart from Labor Starmer; Caroline Lucas, from the green, called Sunak’s decision “an insult”.

This year’s Climate Summit will be held in the Egyptian city of Sharm el-Sheikh, on the east coast of the Sinai Peninsula, and will conclude just one day after the date set for the British Executive to present its budget, which is of key importance in the current political instability in the country.

It United Nations climate change conference is an annual conference held within the framework of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). This is the official meeting of the Parties to the UNFCCC where progress in the fight against climate change is evaluated.