Common ground on climate can help Johnson dispel ‘Trump clone’ claims
CLIMATE change could prove the Government’s best in-road to the new Biden administration, and help dispel the incoming president’s impression that Boris Johnson is a Trump “clone”.
While the Government squares up for a clash on post-brexit trade talks, there are already moves to tackle what both leaders see as one of the greatest challenges society faces.
Donald Trump may have sung the Prime Minister’s praises during his presidency, but on climate change the two have never seen eye-to-eye.
Mr Trump pulled America out of the Paris Agreement, which aims to keep global warming below 1.5C, vowed to protect fossil fuel industries and rolled back environmental protections.
Meanwhile, the UK became the first major economy to commit to net zero emissions by 2050 and next year will host the COP26 summit, the most important climate meeting since the Paris accord was reached in 2015.
In contrast to Mr Trump, Joe Biden has said climate change is the “number one issue facing humanity” and has a $2 trillion plan for a low-carbon transition. He also pledged to re-enter the Paris Agreement on his first day in office.
Speaking about Mr Biden’s win on Sunday, Mr Johnson said he was “really excited” for the global consensus on climate change.
“With President Biden in the White House in Washington, we have the real prospect of American global leadership in tackling climate change,” he said.
The Prime Minister is personally invested in the success of COP26, which he sees as the perfect moment for the UK to emerge on the diplomatic stage post-brexit.
Britain will be hoping to pull off a diplomatic victory by securing new commitments at the summit on meeting the Paris climate aims.
Unable to work directly with the Trump administration, the Government has quietly continued talks with Democrat-led state governments and city administrations ahead of the summit. It can point to commitments on net zero from Ford and Facebook, among others, as direct wins from those efforts.
Eric Garcetti, the mayor of Los Angeles, has become a particular “friend” of the COP26 team. He co- chaired the Biden campaign and is tipped for a cabinet post.
That could help grease the wheels with the Biden camp as the Government works to secure more deals on reducing emissions over the next year.
Mr Johnson also will be hoping that a long-awaited speech setting out his green ambitions that is expected in the next few weeks will catch the new president’s ear and put some distance between himself and Mr Trump.