David Lammy says climate change is more urgent threat than terrorism or Putin

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences. Swipe for next article Foreign secretary says tackling the global warming crisis will also boost economic growth in the UK, as he compares risks to the Russian president who is threatening war with Nato Removed from bookmarks I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice David Lammy has warned that climate change is a more urgent threat than terrorism or Vladimir Putin in a major speech in which he pledged to put the emergency at the centre of British foreign policy. Tackling the crisis, which is accelerating towards us, will also boost growth in the UK, the foreign secretary said. The threat may not feel as urgent as a terrorist or an imperialist autocrat. But it is more fundamental. It is systemic. Pervasive. And accelerating towards us, he warned. Mr Lammy blasted Russia s fascism and imperialism last week on a visit to war-torn Ukraine . He made the vow after the death toll in central Europe rose to at least 15 in the wake of a series of devastating floods. As war rages on the edge of Europe and in the Middle East, the foreign secretary also warned that in the future there will be no global stability without climate stability. And he accused the Tories of being climate dinosaurs as he branded the previous administration a fossil fuel government. Putting the climate crisis central to all that the Foreign Office does would also help consumers at home, he predicted. The change was important not just given the scale of the threat but also the scale of the opportunity, he added. The chance to achieve clean and secure energy, lower bills, and drive growth for the UK, and to preserve the natural world around us, on which all prosperity ultimately depends. As he outlined the new governments plan to create a global clean power alliance, he said that we need a hardheaded, realist approach towards using all levers at our disposal, from the diplomatic to the financial. These were not contradictions, he insisted, because nothing could be more central to the UKs national interests than delivering global progress on arresting rising temperatures. Labour came under fire before Julys election for watering down a major pledge to spend 28bn a year on green energy projects in a bid to tackle global warming and cut household bills. Ministers insist they were forced to scale back their ambitions after the former Tory prime minister Liz Truss crashed the economy. In his speech Mr Lammy turned his ire on the previous Tory government. In his last year in office, Rishi Sunak cut some green policies in a bid to woo middle England. The move was prompted by a rare Tory by-election victory in Uxbridge and South Ruislip, in which Labours poor performance was blamed on an extension of the Labour London mayors clean air crackdown on older and more polluting cars. Mr Lammy said: They became climate dinosaurs crashing offshore wind, blocking onshore wind, moving the goalposts on electric vehicle targets, doubling down on oil and gas, leaving British wildlife in crisis, our biodiversity declining at an unprecedented rate, our precious national parks in decline, our rivers, lakes and seas awash with toxic sewage. Blind (to) the opportunities of the energy transition, a fossil fuel government in a renewable age. The truth is that in the last few years, something went badly wrong. Badly wrong, in our national debate on climate change and net zero. He added: Net zero became, under the Tories, a battleground. A battleground of the worst type of narrow-minded Westminster tactical warfare. Hannah Bond, from ActionAid UK, said Mr Lammys comments were positive. We are encouraged to see the new UK government take the first step in seriously addressing the urgent climate crisis impacting billions worldwide, after years of delayed promises and empty gestures, she said. From our work, we know that climate change is one of the biggest injustices faced by women and girls across the world and todays announcement is an important step in tackling gender inequality. While todays announcement is positive, the UK government cannot ignore the scale of the funding needed to match its ambitions one it must not and cannot afford to shy away from. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies