Joe Biden has pledged to tackle climate change
Credit: REUTERS/Brian Snyder/File Photo
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 start coordinating 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 in particular, the two have never seen eye-to-eye.
Mr Trump pulled the US 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 Agreement was reached in 2015.
In contrast to Mr Trump, Joe Biden has said climate change is the “number one issue facing humanity”, has a $2 trillion plan for a low-carbon transition and has said he will re-enter the Paris Agreement on his first day in office.
Boris vs Biden
Speaking about Joe Biden’s win on Sunday, Mr Johnson said he was now “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,” Mr Johnson said.
Mr Johnson 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.
The UK 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 mostly Democrat-led state governments and city administrations ahead of the summit.
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It can point to commitments on net zero from Ford and Facebook, among others, as direct wins from those efforts. LA Mayor Eric Garcetti has become a particular “friend” of the Cop26 team during these talks.
He co-chaired Mr Biden’s campaign and is now tipped for a cabinet post, possibly as transport secretary. That could help grease the wheels with Biden’s camp as the Government works to secure more deals on reducing emissions over the next year.
A Biden-led US will also embolden the UK to bring climate change on to the agenda when it hosts the presidency of the G7 next year.
Mr Johnson 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.
But convincing the US that it needs to follow the UK’s “lead” on climate change, as Mr Johnson has suggested that he wants to do, will still require some deft diplomacy.
China’s commitment to go net zero by 2060, pledged in a surprise announcement in September following extensive talks with the EU, was proof that Europe could lead on climate, without the US.
Mr Johnson’s challenge will be persuading the US that the UK is still a leader in this arena. But when it comes to building trust with a wary Biden administration, climate change offers the best opportunity.
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