In an earlier blog post, I talked about my recent trip to the United States of America with the British-American Parliamentary group. Whilst in the States, it was a privilege to learn about the approaches taken towards protecting our environment by both international organisations and the US. Throughout the trip, I made sure to highlight environmental matters in all of my engagements. However, it was also great to take part in visits which centred around the importance of taking action to prevent climate change. 

One of these key visits was a tour around the Port of Albany Offshore Wind Expansion Project Site. We were lucky enough to be joined by US Congressman Paul Tonko whilst we were shown around this incredible site by CEOs and Project Managers. This tour really made clear to me the great steps that need to be taken in order to tackle the climate crisis. 

The Port is home to the first ever offshore wind tower manufacturing facility in the US. It boasts 100 acres of land development, 626,000 Square Feet of new manufacturing space, and is the only property in the North East of the USA with such a wealth of land space, topography and river access. The sheer scale of this infrastructure investment was nothing short of astounding. As an efficient and eco-friendly power source, offshore wind farms will certainly function as one of the key players in our turn towards green energy, so it was brilliant to see the measures being taken at the Port of Albany.  

The visit to the Offshore Wind Expansion Project Site made a lasting impression on me. To see, in person, the creation of a renewable energy hotspot was inspiring, and spurred on my commitments to combating climate change. I really do hope to see projects like this emerging across the globe, so that we can transition into a greener economy, whilst providing thousands of high-skilled jobs too. Infrastructure projects, like that which is in place at the Port, are the future. 

Whilst in the United States, I took a separate trip to New York, where I had the amazing opportunity to meet with the Director of the United Nations Environment Programme. I felt lucky to be able to discuss vitally important matters with the Director, such as energy policy, building trust in supply chains, the link between trade and climate, and faith’s relationship to environmentalism. Each of these areas are key pillars of the global fight against climate change, and it was enlightening to speak to such a knowledgeable individual about these topics. 

In addition to these various topics, we discussed the progress of the 2050 Climate Targets. The Director highlighted to me that there is a gulf between the ambitions of international organisations like the UN, and the countries which are actually enacting (or rather, avoiding to enact) climate policy. To meet our net-zero targets, it is clear that we need to go further and faster, investing in projects which help our economy to transition whilst protecting and creating jobs. 

Finally, we discussed the importance of debt justice for countries who are suffering the most from climate change. It is important countries are able to adapt and be climate-resilient, however we must all work together to achieve this. At COP27, a vote favoured supporting these 40 countries financially, but nearly a year on it feels little progress has been made. It was great to hear the UN’s support behind this and how together we can all work together.