Sir Alok Sharma has suggested that ‘trillions’ need to be spent on ‘decarbonising’ developing countries.

Sir Alok, the Conservative MP for Reading West, is well known for his leading role as the President of the United Nations COP26 conference in Glasgow in 2021.

As president, he flew all over the world to maintain relationships and encourage foreign governments to make progress on halting global temperature rises.

Now, he has argued that trillions need to be invested in assisting developing nations ‘decarbonise’ in an interview featured in The Guardian. 

The paper’s environment editor Fiona Harvey wrote about what goals should be set at the COP28 conference in Dubai, which is just six months away.

Giving his views, Sir Alok said: “Cop28 must deliver strengthened emissions reduction targets, and a commitment to peak global emissions by 2025.

“There must be a plan to turbocharge the clean energy revolution, and a commitment to phase out fossil fuels, and a meaningful agreement on how to scale up finance, both public and private, to support developing nations to decarbonise their economies – moving from the billions to the trillions.”

Examples of developing nations Sir Alok visited include Vietnam, Indonesia, Rwanda, India and South Africa.

The Cop28 conference is expected to involve an assessment of what measures have been taken to limit global temperature rises to ‘well below 2C’ with goals of keeping increases at 1.5C or lower.

In a tweet, Sir Alok said: “The world doesn’t need any more leaders’ speeches about the urgent need to tackle climate change and then pursue policies which are inconsistent with keeping 1.5C alive.”

Cop28 will take place in November this year.

READ MORE: 'Air Miles' Alok Sharma jet-setting revealed again - over 53,000 miles travelled

Alok Sharma was knighted in the 2023 New Year’s Honours for his services as COP26 President.

The role has since passed to Sameh Shoukry President of the COP27 conference in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, and Sultan Al Jaber, President of the upcoming COP28 conference in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Sir Alok was involved in the campaign trail for Conservatives in Reading and West Berkshire during this year’s local elections.

In Reading, the Conservatives held two seats they were defending in the Kentwood and Emmer Green wards, but lost a seat in the Caversham Heights ward.

READ MORE: Council leader addresses fears over Reading becoming 'one party state'

Meanwhile, the Conservatives lost control of West Berkshire Council losing 13 councillors in the elections.

However, some Conservatives were elected to the West Berkshire council wards of Tilehurst & Purley, Tilehurst South & Holybrook and Tilehurst Birch Copse.

Sir Alok tweeted: “A huge thank you to all our brilliant Reading West Conservative candidates who stood in the West Berkshire Council elections.

“Congratulations to everyone who won their seats and huge commiserations to all friends who didn’t quite make it.

“A tough day – but you will all be back.”

He also congratulated Raj Singh -a Conservative councillor for the Kentwood ward on Reading Borough Council- for retaining his seat amid stiff competition from the Labour party.