Ed Miliband, the UK foreign secretary – and COP veteran – will be in Antalya on Thursday to attend COP31 with the UK prime minister Andy Burnham.
Miliband has offered Carbon Brief a slot in his diary to take as many COP-related questions from CB+ members as he can answer as he runs between meetings.
The Carbon Brief team will select the best questions in the replies below and put them to Miliband in person on Thursday.
And by “best” questions, we mean the most succinct and on-topic as possible.
So please only submit single-sentence questions that are directly related to COP31 and the wider geopolitical context in which this conference is taking place.
We will publish a video of him answering the questions afterwards.
CB+ members should log in to CB Connect and post their questions here
UPDATE (13 Nov): Many thanks to everyone who posted a question. We have now published Ed Miliband’s answers, which he gave to us on camera at COP31 yesterday. Full video and transcript here…
Ed, how in your experience has the UK’s decision to approve the Jackdaw field, as well as the rumoured rollbacks on EV targets, affected the UK’s standing as a climate leader at COP31? Thanks.
With the proposal to triple adaptation finance off the official agenda at COP 31 (ahead of a year where much of the world is expected to face record-breaking climate impacts), how will the UK be responding to the need to support Least Developed Countries with implementing locally-led adaptation efforts?
With the UK and other developed economies facing increasing fiscal pressures from local priorities, how can they help ensure that developing countries still receive the financial and technical support they need to pursue a just and clean energy transition required to meet global targets?
Ed - it’s becoming part of the narrative that the COP process has run its course and that governments should focus more on ‘mini-coalitions’ or ‘micro-diplomacy’ like groups of middle powers, the Beyond Oil & Gas Alliance etc. What would you say to that and how would you like this process to change?
Also - what’s the most you have gone at a COP without any sleep?
Ed - would you consider rebating carbon pricing to citizens to flip the narrative to be climate solutions make most us better off ?
- Like Klimabonus in Austria or the Canadian policy, a Climate Benefit in the UK could be modelled on the popular Child Benefit program returning similar levels of cash to households at zero cost to the treasury and meet the EU CBAM.
With food security and the fertiliser crisis high on the political agenda this COP, how can we accelerate climwt action for food systems and food security?
Hello Ed! I’m posting a question on behalf of VoteClimate, a pro-climate tactical voting organisation. We recommend to our members the strongest vote for climate in every election, local, devolved and national: voteclimate.uk Based on our analysis of parties’ policy programmes, we currently recommend the Greens or the Liberal Democrats in seats which are winnable to them, and recommend a symbolic Green vote in Labour safe seats. However, we would recommend a vote for Labour - if Labour had the most ambitious plans to reduce emissions.
We note from recent policy announcements - for example, Jackdaw approval, watering down of the EV transition, and cuts to the Warm Homes Plan - that the Labour government seems to have determined that pro-climate policies are a vote loser rather than a vote winner. However, polling shows that 83% of the public want more government action on climate, and there is a clear overlap between policies which reduce emissions and reduce bills.
Our question is this: when deciding new policies, or deciding to strengthen or weaken existing policies, how does the Labour government decide whether a pro-climate policy is likely to win votes or lose votes?
Under your leadership the UK made good progress towards Net Zero. In your view, what are the most significant challenges that need to be overcome for the UK to reach Net Zero?
The UK is committed under Article 6 of the Framework Agreement and Article 12 of the Paris Agreement to "implement climate change education, training, public awareness, and public participation". Why is there still no well funded national programme for public engagement especially given the continuing flood of misinformation and denial.
How can we make the roadmaps on TAFF and deforestation remain part of the official discussions? What do you think of the idea of having them included in the Antalya political package?
given the difficulty of reaching a consensus among c 200 countries on a global climate plan (with targets for each country), do you think the commonwealth of 56 members could make a climate plan for itself, which if seen to work, could be a blueprint for the rest of the world?
As one of those who has pressed hardest at COPs for reductions in methane emissions as the quickest way to slow warming and avoid tipping points, do you agree with Secretary General Guterres and Barbados PM Mia Mottley that voluntary action is no longer enough and that the time has come for mandatory measures?
