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Peter Davidson

Nicola Sturgeon defends decision to attend COP27 in Egypt during cost of living crisis

Nicola Sturgeon has defended her decision to attend the COP27 climate conference in Egypt during the current cost of living crisis.

The First Minister is set to attend a number of events in Sharm El-Sheikh over the course of the week before she heads back to Holyrood for FMQs on Thursday.

Sky News presenter Kay Burley questioned why Sturgeon and the leader of Glasgow City Council Susan Aitken had jetted out to the north African country for the summit.

World leaders are assembling at COP27 in a bid to address the climate emergency and build on the commitments made during COP26 in Glasgow last year.

Burley asked Sturgeon why she and Aitken needed to be at the conference when Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is also in attendance.

Sturgeon said: "It's really important to be here to be having the discussions to be playing our part in finding the solution. Rishi Sunak is here, I welcome that. I think it is right that he is here. If we look at a UK context and that many of the decisions that will determine whether or not the UK as a whole meets its own climate obligations, many of them are Scotland and the responsibility of the Scottish Government.

"It's really important that everyone who has a part to play does that to the full. If you speak to many campaigners, many governments particularly from the global south they warmly welcome Scotland's contribution here. Every single one of us has an obligation to play our part in tackling it."

Burley also probed Sturgeon about the attendance of Aitken at the summit saying it was costing the taxpayer money during the current cost of living crisis, she asked: "Including the leader of Glasgow City Council, Susan Aiken, who has also gone even though she's just announced a £120 million black hole in the city's budget."

Sturgeon replied: "Yes, Glasgow was the host of COP last year. Susan is here to hand on the COP responsibility to Egypt to Sharm el Sheikh. This year Glasgow, Scotland's biggest city, Scotland won't meet its climate change targets if the City of Glasgow doesn't do that."

The FM also said there is an obligation on richer countries that have largely caused climate change to help those suffering the impact of it.

She told the BBC: "I think this Cop is an opportunity for the global north and the global south to come together and have a proper, grown-up conversation about how we make progress.

"We've got to mitigate climate change, we've got to help countries adapt to the impacts of climate change, but as we've seen over the past year, not least in Pakistan, there are many parts of the world that are suffering loss and damage now that is irreversible and can't be mitigated against.

"There is an obligation in the spirit of solidarity for the richer countries that have largely caused climate change to now make a big effort to help those dealing with the impacts address that."

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