London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Oct 03, 2025

Boris Johnson to call for climate action during US visit

Boris Johnson to call for climate action during US visit

Boris Johnson will urge world leaders to take "concrete action" on climate change during meetings at the UN's General Assembly in New York this week.

The PM will also visit the White House for the first time since Joe Biden became US president.

He is expected to push Mr Biden on the looming humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan and the potential of reopening UK to US travel.

The visit comes ahead of the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow in November.

With some 100 world leaders expected in New York at the UN General Assembly this week, Mr Johnson will seek to galvanise action during a series of high-level meetings.

Mr Johnson said he would push for action on coal, climate, cars and trees in particular.

Downing Street said he would focus on supporting developing nations to mitigate the impact of the climate crisis, as well as on adapting to its consequences.

Ahead of the visit, the PM said: "World leaders have a small window of time left to deliver on their climate commitments ahead of COP26.

"My message to those I meet this week will be clear: future generations will judge us based on what we achieve in the coming months.

"We need to continue to make a case for a sustainable recovery from coronavirus rooted in green growth. And we have a responsibility to ensure the benefits of that growth extend to all, no matter where they are born."

The COP26 summit is widely seen as crucial if climate change is to be brought under control.

It is the moment world leaders will discuss whether enough has been achieved since 2015's landmark Paris climate agreement.


The task facing Boris Johnson is huge, because nations are falling way behind on plans to cut emissions.

Scientists say to avoid the worst climate impacts, carbon emissions must be cut by 45% by 2030, but the latest UN analysis shows the trend is heading in the wrong direction. On current national policies, emissions could rise by 16% in this period.

That could lead to a temperature increase of 2.7C (4.9F) above pre-industrial times.

Meanwhile the climate has already dangerously heated, with deadly temperatures, wildfires, and floods - and that's with a temperature rise of just 1C at present.

The PM will attempt to persuade China to quicken its timetable for reducing emissions, even though China's not primarily to blame for climate change so far.

And he must form policies to ensure carbon cuts in the UK. Britain is the leader in target-setting for emissions cuts - but a recent report showed it has produced fewer than a quarter of the policies needed to deliver on those


Mr Johnson will also travel to Washington, where he is expected to hold talks with the president on the future of Afghanistan.

Mr Biden rejected calls from the prime minister and other allies to delay his withdrawal of troops beyond 31 August to buy more time to evacuate former Afghan staff, their families and other vulnerable citizens.

With refusal meaning possibly thousands were left behind, Mr Johnson is expected to discuss further efforts to stem a humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.

The prime minister is also likely to push for a restoration of UK-US travel, with Mr Biden's administration having imposed a ban due to soaring rates of the Delta variant of coronavirus.

Fallout from the new Aukus military pact between the UK, US and Australia is also expected to be under discussion.

Under the agreement, Australia is being given the technology to build nuclear-powered submarines.

Not only has it angered China, but France has recalled ambassadors to the US and Australia because the agreement to provide nuclear submarines to Canberra meant the cancellation of a £30bn deal for the French.

New Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has defended the deal, saying it will make the UK safer and could create hundreds of new jobs.

Ms Truss said she would also be attending the UN summit, "making the case for deeper economic, diplomatic and security partnerships in order to help us seize the opportunities - and tackle the challenges - of the modern age".

During his trip, Mr Johnson will also meet US Vice-President Kamala Harris and other senior figures in American politics.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
Vietnam Faces Up to $25 Billion Export Loss as U.S. Tariffs Bite
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Indonesia Court Upholds Military Law Amid Concerns Over Expanded Civilian Role
Larry Ellison, Michael Dell and Rupert Murdoch Join Trump-Backed Bid to Take Over TikTok
Trump and Musk Reunite Publicly for First Time Since Fallout at Kirk Memorial
Vietnam Closes 86 Million Untouched Bank Accounts Over Biometric ID Rules
×