Boris Johnson will have to raise his game to ensure climate targets are met

Editorial: The government must go full-throttle to meet emissions goals and drastically reduce production, consumption and the export of oil and gas

Prime minister Boris Johnson pledges to move on climate change (PA)

Boris Johnson’s new target for the UK to reduce carbon emissions by 68 per cent by 2030 based on 1990 levels is a very welcome move, and rightly more ambitious than the previous goal of a 57 per cent reduction.

The pledge to go faster than any other leading economy will enhance the prime minister’s credentials when he co-hosts a virtual climate ambition summit on 12 December, and in the run up to the critical Cop26 United Nations summit in Glasgow in November next year. After sending this powerful signal, Mr Johnson will undoubtedly have more leverage as he urges other countries, such as China and India, to follow the UK’s lead. 

The person he hopes will soon be his new best friend, Joe Biden, will naturally approve. It is to be hoped that the president-elect and prime minister will form an important alliance in the months leading up to Cop26.