The UN must resolve its internal contradictions on climate change

While the UN has made progress in eschewing fossil fuels, many of its activities and associations do not align with its stated goals, writes Donnachadh McCarthy

Climate Finance Pledge Unfulfilled (Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Why is the decision by Rishi Sunak and the Johnson/Truss cabinet to turbo-charge billions in new North Sea oil and gas investments, linked to the potential destruction of endangered gorilla habitat, the possible obliteration of the largest store of peatland carbon on the planet and literally pushing humanity over the edge of climate destruction?

This is simply because if one of the richest nations on earth refuses to halt huge investments in our own fossil fuels, how can we say to some of the poorest countries that they must not allow such massive investments in their fossil fuels, when their people often lack the minimum basics necessary for human survival?

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is currently proposing the sale of oil and gas licences for huge areas of its tropical rainforest and peatlands, including the precious Virunga National Park, home to the threatened highland gorilla.