UK wants deeds, not words, on climate

The UK today called for greater contributions to the global financing of the transition to carbon neutrality. But Berlin says it is already making a "fair" contribution.

UK prime minister Boris Johnson will not hesitate to "bend the ears" of fellow leaders in the G7 group of major economies at a summit in Cornwall, UK, on 11-13 June. He wants a commitment to aiding other countries in their transition to carbon neutrality by 2050 and "kick-starting" a green industrial revolution.

"I hope to secure a substantial pile of cash to help all countries do that," Johnson said. "We simply must meet our existing commitments on climate finance — that long-overdue $100bn target per year. And we must go further."

Johnson did not mention any clear figure for heightened targets.

"Those of us who benefited from 150 years of carbon-heavy industry lecture from the sidelines about the need for clean growth," he said.

German chancellor Angela Merkel said she supported Johnson, but that Berlin's approximately €7.6bn contribution from all sources to aiding developing countries transition was a "fair" contribution.

Germany has raised its greenhouse gas reduction target to 65pc by 2030 and to reach climate neutrality by 2045, Merkel said.

She also called for the transport and heating sectors to be included in the EU emissions trading system (ETS). "CO2 pricing is a very suitable instrument to guide [the transition]. It makes sense to expand it to other sectors such as heating and transport. We have already done that in Germany," Merkel said. "A global CO2 price would be very good, step by step."

Expanding the EU ETS to road transport and heating is an option currently under consideration by the European Commission as part of proposed revisions to the system expected in mid-July.

Speaking alongside Merkel and Johnson, UK chair-designate of this year's UN climate summit Cop 26 Alok Sharma said negotiators need to move beyond positional statements and gain political guidance.

By Dafydd ab Iago