After months of teasers, Boris Johnson’s climate vision for the UK was rushed out on a Tuesday evening with five hours’ notice to the media, securing favourable front pages.
By the time the critics caught up, Number 10 had moved on to announcing a larger sum of investment in defence. The deeper climate analysis was relegated to centre pages — or lower traffic, for the mostly online readership.
So it was with us. Here’s the first glance at the 10-point plan and the considered verdict. It’s not a bad start, but more money and policy detail is needed to make it line up with the UK’s net zero ambition.
The work of the Cop26 presidency is about more than announcing flashy hydrogen projects; tough issues around climate finance and carbon markets require sustained political engagement.
This week’s news…
- UN shipping body approves Arctic heavy fuel oil ‘ban’, delayed for a decade
- Canada sets out to enshrine 2050 net zero emissions goal in law
- In Bangladesh, the marginalised Munda face extra barriers to climate adaptation
- China is set to meet UN climate deadline, experts say, but coal pathway is uncertain
- Boris Johnson has further to go on climate to show true leadership
- Hurricanes Iota, Eta devastate parts of Central America in record-breaking season
- Bolsonaro’s attack on the Amazon breaches Brazil’s constitution, climate lawyers argue
- Boris Johnson sets out 10-point plan to get UK on track for net zero
- Anger as UN body approves deal that allows ship emissions to rise to 2030
- Climate campaigners target critical US Senate runoffs in Georgia
- Russia resists tougher climate targets in dash for Arctic gas
- First named Cop26 sponsors are big investors in offshore wind – and a gas plant
- Landless Brazilians are invading more and more protected areas of the Amazon
Ambition watch
A year after returning to power in Canada with a minority government, Justin Trudeau has presented a climate bill with a 2050 net zero target — but no specific commitments before 2030.
China is expected to meet the UN end-of-year deadline for submitting an updated 2030 climate plan, but will it put a stop to coal plant building?
Vladimir Putin has internally reaffirmed Russia’s weak 2030 climate target, which allows for emissions to rise as he pursues an Arctic gas boom.
The UN shipping body approved a package of short-term fuel efficiency measures that are forecast to allow emissions to grow 14% this decade, to the outrage of campaigners.
On the ground
Rightwing landless Brazilians are invading protected areas of the Amazon rainforest, encouraged by president Jair Bolsonaro.
The Munda minority in Bangladesh face extra barriers to adapting to the devastating regional impacts of climate change.
Swathes of Central America are reeling from two intense hurricanes, in a record-breaking season.