King expected to call in opening speech for Cop28 to be critical turning point

Charles will tell leaders and climate delegates that the “hope of the world” rests on decisions taken at the international summit

The King is expected to say that he hopes Cop28 will be a “critical turning point towards genuine transformational action” in a speech to world leaders at the climate summit on Friday.

Charles will be giving an opening address where he is expected to tell leaders and climate delegates that the “hope of the world” rests on decisions taken at the international summit.

He is also expected to argue that, despite some progress, repeated warning signs of climate change are being ignored, bringing devastating consequences for lives and livelihoods across the Commonwealth and the globe.

It is believed he will call for meaningful action achieved by all bodies working together, and outline five key questions which he hopes the summit will address, adding: “The Earth does not belong to us, we belong to the Earth.”

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron will be present for Charles’ speech at Expo City Dubai, where Cop28 began on Thursday and will conclude on December 12.

The address will be the monarch’s first at the conference as King, having previously opened Cop26 in Glasgow in 2021 and Cop21 in Paris in 2015.

It follows multiple engagements on Thursday, which saw Charles engage in bilateral talks with the presidents of Nigeria, Guyana and the United Arab Emirates.

He also formally opened the new Dubai campus of Edinburgh-based Heriot-Watt University, after being shown a range of green technologies being developed by students and staff which he described as “fantastic”.

He also met the Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf at the campus, with Thursday being St Andrew’s Day.

Published: 01/12/2023 by Radio NewsHub