Newcastle Central MP Chi Onwurah speaks up for the North East at COP 28

Chi Onwurah, the Member of Parliament for Newcastle Central, has spoken up for the region at COP 28 as part of a cross-party delegation of MPs from the UK.

Chi is one of 10 MPs to be invited by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, a non-profit organisation supporting informed debate on energy and climate change in the UK.

The Labour Shadow Minister for Science, Research and Innovation travelled to the summit on Thursday, December 7, with the story of the North East's green transition to share with world leaders.

Speaking ahead of attending COP 28, she said: “Combatting climate change is the biggest existential challenge of our age and more than anything, I’m going there to learn.

“I’m going to meet and talk to the leading people in the world who are working on establishing and hitting climate goals and I’m going to listen to what they have to say, to hear more about their strategies and solutions.

“It is clear that solving this global crisis is beyond any one political party or one country - it’s a global problem and only by acting together will be able to protect future generations and the planet itself.

“But I’ll also be letting people know that our region is a great example of a place embracing the green transition and turning away from fossil fuels, that we have companies doing innovative work - like one which is working on making cement from plastics - and that our universities are doing some amazing work when it comes to research and development.”

Read Newcastle's news on the go with our free email newsletters - bringing the headlines to your inbox. Catch up on the day's news and sport and enjoy even more from the NewcastleWorld team. Visit our website here to find out more and sign up.

During her time at COP 28, she has called for unity when it comes to tackling climate issues.

She added: “I attended COP26 in Glasgow because I wanted to understand what is a complex and fast-evolving sector and I’m aware that there are some targets that have still not been hit.

“The promises of COP 26 and 27 have not been fully carried out and I think there’s an acceptance that there’s greater scrutiny than ever on COP28.

“We will be judged.

“But I also think that there’s a momentum internationally and that the COP process is only going to keep on going and gain greater momentum with each passing year.”