‘We’re leading the way’: Starmer defends plans for green economy before Cop30 | Cop30

The UK will play a leading role in tackling the climate crisis, the Prime Minister promised on Wednesday, despite critics calling for a slowdown, as the shift to a low-carbon economy would cut bills, boost economic growth and bring national renewal.

But his remarks risked being overshadowed by a bitter row over funding for the preservation of tropical forests at the UN’s Cop30 climate conference.

Keir Starmer traveled to Brazil to join other heads of government at a leaders’ summit in Belém ahead of the conference, which officially begins on Monday.

He said: “Britain is not waiting to act – we are leading the way, as we promised. Clean energy doesn’t just mean energy security, so Putin can’t put his boot on our throat: it means lower bills for working families in every part of the UK.”

Starmer is expected to announce new investments in the low-carbon economy, aimed at boosting economic growth. While in Brazil, he will speak to other leaders and business groups about investing in the UK, where the green economy has grown three times faster than other sectors.

Despite his vocal support for climate action, Starmer’s reception at the leaders’ summit was likely to be frosty from the Brazilian hosts, with the Prime Minister also deciding not to contribute – at least for now – to Brazil’s flagship Cop30 project.

Brazilian President Lula da Silva hopes the Tropical Forests Forever Fund (TFFF) will be the crowning achievement of the Cop30 conference. The aim is to raise $125bn (£96bn) – around $25bn from governments and public institutions, with the rest from private sector investors and financial markets – for projects in forest countries, including Brazil. Its goal is to preserve existing forests and reward governments and those who live in forest areas for protecting them in the long term, rather than exploiting them for short-term gains.

The Guardian understands that the government views the TFFF as being at an early stage and has not ruled out contributing to it once the fund has demonstrated it can work in practice. Some academics and experts have raised concerns with the Guardian about the structure of the fund, but it is hoped the problems can be overcome.

Starmer’s decision not to support the TFFF could also embarrass Prince William, who is also in Brazil to present the Earthshot Prize, for which the TFFF is nominated.

Some aides have urged Starmer to ignore climate negotiations for fear of presenting a target to the Reform Party, which has denied climate science and wants to abandon a pledge to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

But the prime minister appears keen to reinforce the message he has given repeatedly over the last year, that promoting a greener economy will boost economic growth and improve people’s lives.

“Critics who say climate action can’t stimulate the economy are completely wrong,” he said. “This Government has already invested £50 billion in clean energy since the election, with more to come – creating jobs and opportunities now and for generations to come. This is national renewal.”

Starmer can boast of the UK’s commitment to reducing emissions, which is stronger than that of many countries which have failed to set out clear plans to transition to a low-carbon economy.

China has produced a plan that critics say is too weak, even though the country has a history of exceeding its targets.

The EU only managed to agree on an emissions reduction target on Tuesday evening, after months of wrangling between member states and attempts by far-right groups in the European Parliament to derail negotiations. The agreed target, a range of reductions of 66.25% to 72.5% by 2035 from 1990 levels, as part of a bloc-wide effort to achieve 90% reductions by 2040, has been criticized by some green groups as too low.