COP26: There is 'no excuse' for world leaders to back out of climate action, says Boris Johnson
ITV News' Correspondent Rachel Younger reports from COP26 in Glasgow
There is "no excuse" for world leaders to back out of climate commitments now as "we all know what is at stake", Boris Johnson has said.
The prime minister told the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow on Tuesday that governments must "pull out all the stops" to reduce environmental damage.
Mr Johnson urged world leaders to take action to limit global warming to 1.5C to prevent the most catastrophic effects of climate change.
Hours later the US and China issued a joint declaration from Glasgow, vowing to fight the climate crisis.
He referenced the president of Palau - a Pacific island - who said last week that his country will suffer so much from global warming that world leaders "might as well bomb" the island if they don't intend to follow through on their climate promises.
Boris Johnson also expressed frustration that many governments had made commitments during the 2015 Paris Climate talks, without taking action.
"It’s very frustrating to see countries that have spent six years conspicuously patting themselves on the back for signing [the Paris Climate Agreement]", he said.
"Vulnerable nations and future generations are demanding payment here now in Glasgow", he added.
With the COP26 climate talks ending on Friday, the prime minister said the world is now "closer than it has ever been" to taking comprehensive climate action, and that saving the planet "is now within reach".
"My question to [world leaders] is will you help us do that?", he said.
"Will you help us grasp this opportunity, or will you stand in the way?"
Speaking on ITV's Peston show after the PM's speech on Wednesday, Labour Ed Miliband accused Mr Johnson of only going to the summit this week as "a day trip".
The shadow business and energy secretary said only "modest progress" had been made by the UK at the summit, adding we are still "miles from where we need to be".
But Allegra Stratton, the PM's COP26 spokesperson, refuted the claim the visit was a "day trip". She said it would "not be appropriate" for Mr Johnson as Alok Sharma was the COP President and "we, the UK, are the UN for this period and we have to broker it for 196 countries.
"Alok is running this process. The Prime Minister was here for the World Leaders' Summit," she added stressing progress had been made at that event.
The COP27 climate conference - what you need to know
What is COP27? When and where will it be?
What is COP27? When and where will it be?
Each year, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) meets at what is called the Conference of the Parties (abbreviated as COP) to discuss the world's progress on climate change and how to tackle it.
COP27 is the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties summit which will be held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt from November 6-18.
Who is going?
Who is going?
Leaders of the 197 countries that signed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) - a treaty that came into force in 1994 - are invited to the summit.
These are some of the world leaders that will be attending COP27:
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is attending the conference, after initially saying he wouldn't as he was too busy focusing on the economy within his first weeks in office.
US President Joe Biden and his experienced climate envoy, John Kerry, will appear at the talks.
France President Emmanuel Macron will also be among the heads of state from around the world staying in Egypt.
King Charles III will not be attending COP27, despite being a staunch advocate for the environment. The decision was made jointly by Buckingham Palace and former prime minister Liz Truss.
Elsewhere, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping will not attend the talks just as they decided to do for COP26.
What is it hoping to achieve?
What is it hoping to achieve?
1. Ensure full implementation of the Paris Agreement and putting negotiations into concrete actions - included within this is the target of limiting global warming to well below 2C.
2. Cementing progress on the critical workstreams of mitigation, adaptation, finance and loss and damage, while stepping up finance notably to tackle the impacts of climate change.
3. Enhancing the delivery of the principles of transparency and accountability throughout the UN Climate Change process.
Boris Johnson's speech comes after a UN environment expert said on Tuesday that countries have promised only half the cuts in greenhouse gases needed by 2030 to keep global warming to 1.5C.
The prime minister told ITV News Political Editor Robert Peston that hopes of rescuing climate action ambitions were "in the balance" and that it would be "tough" to get back on track.
"I still think we can achieve [1.5C] but I don't think by any means it is a done deal", he said.