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The UK government has appointed Conservative MP Anne-Marie Trevelyan to the role of COP26 International Adaptation and Resilience Champion. But as the first woman named to a leading role at the crucial climate summit, Trevelyan has a patchy history on climate action.
Trevelyan previously held the position of Secretary of State for International Development (DFID), which was merged with the Foreign & Commonwealth Office earlier this year.
Trevelyan, a Conservative MP from Berwick-upon-Tweed, was announced as the UK’s international champion for adaptation and resilience for COP26 earlier this week, in an announcement that was dwarfed by ongoing stories of struggles to Downing Street.
According to the government, Trevelyan will be tasked with engaging with the governments of other countries that are most affected by the climate crisis and will lead the support of the international community and the private sector.
Trevelyan said: “I am delighted to have been named champion of adaptation and resilience. It is imperative that the UK COP Presidency shows the world that we are listening to the voices of those most affected by climate change and that we will lead global action to address their concerns, from loss and damage, to access to finance.
“I look forward to working with our partners around the world to represent and lead our great ambitions in the adaptation and resilience program.”
Trevelyan previously held the position of Secretary of State for International Development (DFID) for six months in 2020, but stepped down when the department was merged with the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) to create the new Foreign, Commonwealth department. & Development Office. He joins COP26 chairman Alok Sharma in transitioning from DFID ministerial team to be part of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s key climate cabinet to lead negotiations at COP26 next November.
Trevelyan is the first woman named to a senior position under COP26, which was due to take place this month, before being rejected due to the coronavirus. It emerged that the UK would initiate a men-only group to carry out key climate negotiations, seen by many green groups as the last chance to elevate global climate ambitions to the demands of the Paris Agreement.
He joins Sharma, Lord Callanan, Zac Goldsmith and Kwasi Kwarteng, who led the recent virtual meetings on global climate coordination. Boris Johnson and Dominic Raab will also play a key role in delivering the conference.
While it’s good that the UK has been trying to address gender balance as part of the COP26 handover, Trevelyan’s selection raised eyebrows, and many focused on his history in favor of fracking.
As the Independent pointed out, Trevelyan used the 2015 election preparation period to share stories on social media about why fracking “is good for the UK economy, self-reliant needs and the environment.”
Before winning Berwick from the Lib Dems in 2015, Trevelyan focused on convincing the Northumberland constituency to oppose wind farms being built in the area.
Trevelyan defended its position as a wind farm, stating to the Huffington Post: “My challenge to onshore wind that damaged the Northumbrian landscape without the wider impact needed to reduce the base load requirement for our supply. energy at the beginning of the 2000s is one of which I am next to.
“Now, in 2020, technology has advanced to ensure that we can use both onshore wind and, more importantly, offshore wind to power our power grid.”
Environmental history
Controversies in favor of fracking underscore what is a consistent voting record against rising climate ambitions.
As They Work for You noted, Trevelyan has “consistently voted against measures to prevent climate change”. In particular, Trevelyan voted not to call on the government to develop and implement a plan to eliminate the substantial majority of transport emissions by 2030, he voted against calling for a carbon capture and storage strategy for industry. energy and voted against a motion calling on the government “to rebuild the economy so that it works in the interests of many, not just by handing out rewards to the top” and to carry out “a green industrial revolution to decarbonise the economy and stimulate economic growth”. Trevelyan also voted to apply the climate change tax to electricity generated from renewable sources.
However, Trevelyan acted as vice chair of the parliamentary group of all parties on forestry aiming to improve biodiversity and the environment in the UK and pushed for the introduction of a British peat strategy, which could help with natural storage. of carbon and sequestration.
Additionally, Trevelyan outlined his support for a nationwide levy on disposable coffee cups to reduce plastic waste. Writing in the Independent, he noted: “It seems to me that the quickest way to reduce the two billion plastic-lined cups thrown away and their plastic lids every year is to motivate shoppers, as we did with the cost of the plastic bag. from 5 cents.
“I believe that just a true withdrawal of something like 50p a cup will break the bad habits we have all developed of drinking coffee on the go, regardless of the waste we are creating.”
During the Covid-19 pandemic, Trevelyan also established a Vulnerable Supply Chains Facility to allow UK retailers and fashion companies to work with charities such as the Fairtrade Foundation and Ethical Trading Initiative to improve working conditions and access to health care for workers from the chain of nations such as Myanmar, Bangladesh, Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Rwanda and Ghana.
Matt Mace
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