Burnham pledges climate leadership as he says consensus has ‘gone’

The UK has appointed Madeleine Alessandri as its first special envoy for climate security, Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced at the COP31 climate summit in Antalya.

Burnham said climate change was a national security issue. Alessandri previously led the Joint Intelligence Committee, which examines national security matters.

The committee worked under her leadership on a report about how climate problems could affect state security. The report warned that collapsing ecosystems could contribute to food shortages, mass migration and conflict between countries, according to the Guardian account cited by ANP.

Update

Speaking in Antalya, Turkey, on 12 November, Burnham said: “The consensus we once enjoyed on science and climate has gone, and the reality is now the world will reach 1.5 degrees.” He called for a “new era of British leadership” over the next decade. [2]

Burnham did not specify whether he meant political agreement, scientific agreement or both. The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change concluded in its 2023 synthesis that human activities, principally greenhouse gas emissions, have unequivocally caused global warming. [5]

The World Meteorological Organisation reported this week that the global average surface temperature from January to September 2026 was about 1.47°C above the 1850–1900 average. That nine-month figure is not the same as the long-term warming used to assess the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C goal. [6]

Burnham reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to net zero emissions by 2050 and backed the summit’s focus on electrification. He also announced UK support for the Amplify programme, which aims to secure £5 billion in new private finance for clean energy projects worldwide. [2]

Environmental groups challenged the government’s record. Oxfam climate adviser Beth John said Burnham could not call for clean power worldwide while approving more fossil fuels at home. [3]

The government approved the Jackdaw gas field in the North Sea last month, citing energy security. It also cut funding for the Warm Homes Plan, which supports heat pump installations, the BBC reported. [3]