Campaigners call on PM to ‘show UK is ready to do what it takes’ before COP 26 summit

Boris Johnson must flesh out plans for the UK to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 if he is to make a success of the COP 26 climate summit, campaigners have said.

The government has not yet set out firm plans or systematic new measures aimed at reaching the net-zero target, which was enshrined in law by Theresa May last summer.

Meeting the target will require sweeping changes to the UK’s economy and infrastructure, from energy generation to transport, housing to farming and consumer goods to food. Nearly every major government department is likely to be involved in some way.

Launching the UK’s presidency of the crunch UN climate meeting, set for Glasgow this November, Johnson highlighted only one major new policy – bringing forward the planned phase-out of diesel and petrol vehicles from 2040 to 2035 – and appeared to rely on the achievements of past governments to burnish the UK’s green credentials.

While few new policies have been brought forward since last summer, the government has signalled its intent to push forward with policies and projects that could lead to an increase in greenhouse gas emissions, from road-building and coal-mining to the expansion of Heathrow and the potential review of air passenger duty.

Johnson has promised more tree-planting but this fell well short of targets last year, and the promised incentives for farmers to use their land to store carbon are still years off, despite the new agriculture bill.

Meanwhile, other policy areas – such as renewable energy, home insulation, domestic energy efficiency and building regulations – have languished, receiving little ministerial attention.

“It’s great for the prime minister to show leadership and launch the UK’s COP presidency – his personal leadership will be essential if our presidency is to be a success, not least by ensuring that his ministers deliver and the UK gets on track to delivering net zero,” said Shaun Spiers, the executive director of Green Alliance.

“But the lack of a COP president at the launch was pretty embarrassing – this vacancy must be filled quickly – and the paucity of detail or substance in [Johnson’s] speech was worrying. Willpower, tech and a can-do attitude are important, but in themselves will neither enable the UK to reach net zero, nor deliver a successful COP.”

Aaron Kiely, a climate campaigner at Friends of the Earth, said the UK was “woefully off track” in bringing emissions down to the levels needed to meet net zero by mid-century.

He called for drastic action: “The prime minister could show real international leadership on the climate crisis by scrapping plans for new roads and runways, and ending government support for gas, coal and oil developments at home and abroad.”

Johnson faced embarrassment at the recent UK-Africa summit, where he announced an end to new British investment in African coal, despite there having been no such investment by the UK since 2002. At the same summit, nearly £2bn of new deals on African oil and gas were announced, leading to accusations of hypocrisy.

Kiely said new jobs could be created by investing in renewable energy, public transport and a nationwide energy efficiency programme. There is currently no national scheme for home insulation and energy efficiency – the last one was abandoned nearly five years ago - and onshore wind farm construction levels have fallen sharply as government support has been withdrawn and planning obstacles put in the way of new turbines. Only one new onshore wind farm was started in 2019.

Next month’s budget would be the ideal opportunity for the government to switch track, and bring forward concrete new measures on the climate crisis, said Doug Parr, Greenpeace UK’s policy director.

“We know Boris Johnson can talk the talk on climate, but in terms of walking it, he has been no Usain Bolt,” he said. “The prime minister needs to use next month’s budget to show that Britain is ready to do what it takes to tackle the climate emergency.

“We don’t need more long-term targets and pledges, we need concrete measures such as banning new oil and gas drilling, rocket-boosting renewable energy and directing 5% of government spending towards tackling the climate and nature emergency. Britain has to lead by example, or it won’t lead at all.”