Rishi Sunak, the new prime minister of Britain, made the decision to attend the UN climate conference in Egypt on Wednesday after first defying popular opinion by declining to do so early in his term.
After inheriting an economic crisis from his predecessor Liz Truss, Sunak had claimed that "urgent domestic duties" would keep him away from the COP27 in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.
However, that fueled scepticism about Sunak's commitment to the global crisis, and detractors claimed the inexperienced leader was passing up a chance to mingle with people like US President Joe Biden and European counterparts.
"Without addressing climate change, long-term prosperity is impossible. Without financial support for renewable energy sources, "Rishi Sunak tweeted something.
"I'll be at @COP27P next week to carry on Glasgow's legacy of constructing a safe and sustainable future," the speaker said.
Under the direction of Truss' predecessor Boris Johnson, who made climate change and the goal of making Britain "net zero" in emissions a trademark policy, the Scottish city served as the site for COP26.
With her open doubts about net zero, Truss seriously questioned that promise and forbade King Charles III from attending COP27.
Sunak's change of attitude could reignite discussion over whether Britain should permit the next monarch to advance the climate argument in Egypt. The new monarch has spent his entire life advocating for the environment.
The monarch will host a pre-COP event at Buckingham Palace on Friday for business executives, activists, and elected officials, including John Kerry, the US ambassador on climate change.
Sunak changed his mind after Johnson announced he would be attending COP27 at Egypt's request in a Sky News interview that aired on Tuesday, possibly outshining Sunak.
A phoney "If the UK wants to be regarded as a world leader, it must take the initiative. Attendance by the prime minister at the upcoming COP27 is only right "After Sunak's U-turn, Tracy Carty, Oxfam GB's climate lead, remarked.
The UK must act, she said, "not just for the sake of the nations suffering the most from climate change, but also for its own credibility on the international stage."
Johnson promoted renewable energy as the foundation of a more environmentally friendly UK economy and its drive for net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 during his time in office.
Alok Sharma, the president of COP26, was demoted from Sunak's cabinet upon gaining office.
Sunak's change of heart made Sharma "delighted," while Ed Miliband of the opposing Labour party called the new head a "phoney."
Labour's spokesman on climate change, Ed Miliband, tweeted that "the Prime Minister has been embarrassed into travelling to COP27 by the outpouring of astonishment that he would fail to turn up."
He will refrain from exercising leadership in order to avoid shame.
Caroline Lucas, the lone member of the Green Party in the UK parliament, applauded Sunak's declaration.
But what a humiliating slip-up on the international stage, she tweeted. "Let this serve as a reminder to him that he needs to lead on climate change.
"He now needs to pay what we owe to global climate funding and immediately enhance UK ambition on carbon reduction targets."
This week, it was revealed that Britain has failed to pay $300 million in promised contributions to international organisations that handle climate money.
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