Tyneside MP heads to COP28 promoting the North East and calling for climate unity

NEWCASTLE Central MP Chi Onwurah will represent the North East when she attends COP 28 this week as part of a cross-party delegation of MPs from the UK.

Chi is one of 10 Members of Parliament drawn from all parties invited to the global event by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, a non-profit organisation supporting informed debate on energy and climate change in the UK.

And the Labour Shadow Minister for Science, Research and Innovation says the North East has a good story to tell on the green transition – an issue on which she says, all parties should be in agreement.

“Combatting climate change is the biggest existential challenge of our age and more than anything, I’m going there to learn,” she said.

“I’m going to meet and talk to the leading people in the world who are working on establishing and hitting climate goals and I’m going to listen to what they have to say, to hear more about their strategies and solutions.

“It is clear that solving this global crisis is beyond any one political party or one country – it’s a global problem and only by acting together will be able to protect future generations and the planet itself.

“But I’ll also be letting people know that our region is a great example of a place embracing the green transition and turning away from fossil fuels, that we have companies doing innovative work – like one which is working on making cement from plastics – and that our universities are doing some amazing work when it comes to research and development.”

The annual gathering of world leaders and scientists is in the spotlight more than ever before this year, largely because it is being held in the petrostate United Arab Emirates under the presidency of leading fossil fuel executive Sultan Al Jaber and there are question marks over how willing it will be restrict further oil and gas development.

But Chi says the world is watching and will hold the COP process, (the acronym stands for Conference of the Parties), to account.

She said: “I attended COP26 in Glasgow because I wanted to understand what is a complex and fast-evolving sector and I’m aware that there are some targets that have still not been hit.

“The promises of COP 26 and 27 have not been fully carried out and I think there’s an acceptance that there’s greater scrutiny than ever on COP28.

“We will be judged.

“But I also think that there’s a momentum internationally and that the COP process is only going to keep on going and gain greater momentum with each passing year.”

Some of the statistics and predictions being bandied about in terms of what the planet-altering effects of climate change might bring are little short of terrifying.

But Chi says there’s also a great deal of hope if the opportunities the crisis brings are recognised and risen to, like the development of new technologies and the creation of good green jobs.

It’s one of the things that excites her in her current role in Science, Research and Innovation for the Labour Party.

“I worked as an engineer before I entered Parliament and one of the biggest attractions in engineering, for me, was the practical difference and improvements you can make to everybody’s daily lives,” she reflected.

“There’s so much innovation going on in this field that I find a lot of it inspiring and I want Newcastle, and the region, and indeed the UK to be part of it – to lead it if possible, because there’s good green jobs to be had.

“It’s one of the reasons why we want to switch on GB Energy and lead a drive towards renewable energy which will lower energy bills and give us energy security.”

Chi will be thousands of miles away from home until the curtain comes down on COP next week but says her constituents still come first.

“I’m a constituency MP, first and foremost,” she said. “But these global conditions affect us locally too – just look at the changing weather patterns in the North East and the flooding in recent years.

“It’s going to be such a challenge for us but I think there are more and more people in the region getting on the front foot on this issue and the opportunity is there for us to see the good that can come out of this too.”

CHI Onwurah, MP, has represented the Newcastle Central constituency since 2010 and is currently serving as Shadow Minister for Science, Research and Innovation but climate change has long been an issue close to her heart.

She is especially interested in how to create a successful green transition, both to protect the planet and to reindustrialise the North East.

She attended COP26 in Glasgow in 2021 and in June this year, she was a guest at the What A Wonderful World festival in Alnwick, where she laid out her thoughts on climate change and how it would impact on the North East.

Here is a summary of her speech:

“Climate change is not a distant issue or a threat for future generations.

“Its impact is very much being felt at home, and this is certainly true for the North East.

“The Met Office’s climate projections for the UK suggest that the North East will see wetter winters and that this could be as much as a 30-40% rainfall increase by 2050.

“This could mean an increased likelihood of rivers flooding, like the major flooding that affected Carlisle in 2015 due to Storm Desmond, and York earlier this year during Storm Franklin.

“We need to ensure adequate flood defences for a future climate or look at ways of managing water upstream of our towns and cities. 

“Our summers might become drier overall – but when it does rain, we could be seeing heavier downpours like the ‘Toon Monsoon’ in 2012 which saw a month’s worth of rain in about two hours. 

“This caused around 500 properties to experience internal flooding, along with millions of pounds worth of damage to highways in the Newcastle area and disruption to local businesses.  

“But, while the North East is already being affected by climate change, the transition to net zero provides our region with a unique opportunity to be at the forefront of tackling the crisis.

“This is because the North East has great strengths in offshore wind, electric vehicles and advanced manufacturing – these are the industries of the future and they are right here in our region.

“Delivering Clean Power by 2030 is one of the Labour Party’s five key missions.

“We aim to double onshore wind capacity, triple solar capacity and quadruple offshore wind capacity.

“This strategy will ensure that the towns and cities that gave birth to the Industrial Revolution will lead us into the clean revolution too.

“This green revolution will boost jobs, pay and skills in the North East and restore our region’s manufacturing and technological heritage.

“There does not need to be a conflict between a green economy and existing jobs.”