PM invokes fall of the Roman Empire as he warns world faces uphill battle in climate fight

Published

4 years ago

October 29, 2021

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Boris Johnson on Friday warned that “team world” was “5-1” down at half-time in the fight to tackle global warming, as he implored world leaders to act now on the eve of two global gatherings of world leaders.

Speaking to journalists en route to the G20 in Rome, the prime minister acknowledged the scale of the task ahead but also stressed the alternative was apocalyptic and could consign future generations to shortages of food, conflict and mass migrations, all caused by global warming.

Live updates ahead of COP26

“Humanity as a whole, at half-time, is about 5-1 down,” he told journalists.

“We have got a long way to go, but we can do it. We have the ability to equalise, to save the position, to come back, but it will take a huge amount of effort.”

Referencing the rise and fall of the Roman Empire, Mr Johnson said: “Things can go backwards as well as forwards.

“Unless we get this right in tackling climate change we could see our civilisation, our world, also go backwards, and we could consign future generations to a life that is far less agreeable than our own.

“We could consign our children, our grandchildren, our great-grandchildren to a life in which there are not only huge movements of populations and huge migrations, but also shortages of food, shortages of water, of conflict caused by climate change and there is absolutely no question that this is a reality that we must face.

“Look at evidence of the decline and fall of the Roman Empire if you doubt what I say, when Rome fell humanity became far less literate overall, people lost the ability to read and write, they lost the ability to draw properly, they lost the ability to build in the way the Romans did.

“Things can go backwards, and they can go backwards at a really terrifying speed.”

Analysis by Beth Rigby, political editor

Boris Johnson himself acknowledges he hasn’t always been a climate change convert. There were points in his journalism career where he was a sceptic who questioned climate science.

But on the eve of two crucial summits – the G20 gathering of world leaders and the COP26 climate summit in Rome – the prime minister is now under no doubt about what’s at stake.

He said his “road to Damascus” moment came in the early days of his premiership, when he was given a climate briefing by scientists.

“I got them to run through it all, and if you look at the almost vertical kink upward in the temperature graph, the anthropogenic climate change, it’s very hard to dispute. That was a very important moment for me.”

And these two summits, these coming days, are going to be very important for all of us as world leaders gather, first in Rome and then in Glasgow, to try to hammer out detailed agreements not just to limit global warming to well below two degrees – as agreed in Paris in 2015 – but to also “keep the 1.4 alive” – to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees.

Without it, scientists warn of a future of storms, fires, droughts and heatwaves that become increasingly severe, and potentially deadly, with every fraction of a degree of warming above that mark.

That is the apocalyptic future Mr Johnson is warning about, but it is out of his power to avert it.

The UK is doing its bit, but it accounts for just 1% of global emissions, what is in Mr Johnson’s control doesn’t scratch the surface.

Of the three biggest emitters, China, the US and India, only Washington is on the same page as the prime minister. President Modi of India is resisting formal targets, while President Xi isn’t going far enough.

The PM does seem to have ideas about how he might try to compel global leaders to do more on climate change, raising the prospect of more regular meetings to check targets – climate change campaigners have called this a “ratchet mechanism” by which the UN will more regularly review country commitments to keep countries on track. Might G20 leaders also set a deadline to phase out coal completely?

But Mr Johnson and his fellow travellers can only do so much.

Without China moving its goalposts, the PM’s hopes of turning around that half-time position for “team world” looks like an impossible ask.

With 80% of all global emissions coming from the G20 group of industrialised countries, progress this week in Rome is seen as critical to the success of COP26, the annual climate summit in Glasgow which is meant to put in place national commitments from individual countries to hit emission targets of 2% and below by 2050.

Earlier this month, Alok Sharma, the UK’s COP president, challenged China, India and Saudi Arabia to deliver on G20 promises made months ago and come up with better formal targets in an interview with the Financial Times.

On the fight to Rome, the PM stressed progress was being made, with 17 nations of the G20 now committing to net-zero by 2050.

But two of the top three of the world’s largest emitters – China and India – have so far failed to commit to getting to net-zero by 2050.

When I asked the PM whether he thought he could get China and India to ratchet up their commitments, he acknowledged the “big struggle” ahead to hit global emissions targets on the eve of the COP26 summit.

“Team world is up against a very formidable opponent in climate change, and we’ve got to a lot to do,” he said.

“It’s time to get out our oranges and get back on the pitch. It’s very tough, and we are going to have to see a lot of progress in the next few days from the countries mentioned.”

While China has drawn up a blueprint to reduced emissions, there is frustration from leaders that the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases – 27% of total in 2019 – isn’t going faster: China has committed to peak carbon emissions before 2030 and net-zero by 2060, but has indicated it is both unable and unwilling to move further.

US special envoy on climate change John Kerry has said the world will miss its global emissions targets unless this happens.

Mr Johnson, who spoke with President Xi on Friday, said he had pushed the Chinese leader to bring down the peak in emissions to 2025 and pressed him in phasing out coal.

“Where I was evangelical was the potential to move away from coal. He said China depends on it for our domestic economy. I said so many times from the UK moving from 80% dependency on coal for electricity to one percent today.

“I said when I came to see you in Beijing in 2008 we were 40% dependent on coal, and it shows how fast you can make the transition.”

The PM said leaders “were not going to stop global warming in Rome or in this meeting in COP” but said he hopes to slow the increase.

He also said he was keen to accelerate the global approach.

“Is there a way to accelerate the way the world engages in this faster than the quinquennial [every five years] approach? The UK is very keen to look at that. It is a matter for the UN. It is a matter for the COP,” the PM said.

The PM also had a message for India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the flight over to Rome: “India has done brilliantly on renewables – his solar alliance is fantastic, but we need to see more from the NDC [India’s plan to reduce emissions].”

Watch the Daily Climate Show at 6.30pm Monday to Friday on Sky News, the Sky News website and app, on YouTube and Twitter.

The show investigates how global warming is changing our landscape and highlights solutions to the crisis.

Politics

Another tantrum from the Labour backbenches is inevitable

Published

11 hours ago

July 6, 2025

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Rachel Reeves hints at tax rises in autumn budget after welfare bill U-turn

In common with many parents across the country, here’s a conversation that I have with my young daughter on a semi-regular basis (bear with me, this will take on some political relevance eventually).

Me: “So it’s 15 minutes until your bedtime, you can either have a little bit of TV or do a jigsaw, not both.”

Daughter: “Ummmm, I want to watch TV.”

Me: “That’s fine, but it’s bed after that, you can’t do a jigsaw as well.”

Fast-forward 15 minutes.

Me: “Right, TV off now please, bedtime.”

(Pause)

Daughter: “I want to do a jigsaw.”

Now replace me with the government, the TV and jigsaw options with axing welfare cuts and scrapping the two-child cap, and my daughter with rebellious backbenchers.

Politics latest: Former Labour leader calls for wealth tax on assets above £10m

That is the tension currently present between Downing Street and Labour MPs. And my initial ultimatum is the messaging being pumped out from the government this weekend.

In essence: you’ve had your welfare U-turn, so there’s no money left for the two-child cap to go as well.

As an aside – and before my inbox fills with angry emails lambasting me for using such a crude metaphor for policies that fundamentally alter the lives of some of the most vulnerable in society – yes, I hear you, and that’s part of my point.

For many in Labour, this approach feels like the lives of their constituents are being used in a childish game of horse-trading.

So what can be done?

Well, the government could change the rules.

Altering the fiscal rules is – and will likely remain – an extremely unlikely solution. But as it happens, one of Labour’s proverbial grandparents has just popped round with a different suggestion.

A wealth tax, Lord Neil Kinnock says, is the necessary outcome of the economic restrictions the party has placed on itself.

Ever the Labour storyteller, Lord Kinnock believes this would allow the government to craft a more compelling narrative about whose side this administration is on.

That could be valuable, given one of the big gripes from many backbench critics is that they still don’t really understand what this prime minister stands for – and by extension, what all these “difficult decisions” are in aid of.

The downside is whether it will actually raise much money.

The super-rich may have lots of assets to take a slice from, but they also have expensive lawyers ready to find novel ways to keep their client’s cash away from the prying eyes of the state.

Or, of course, they could just leave – as many are doing already.

In the short term, the future is a bit easier to predict.

If Downing Street is indeed now saying there is no money to scrap the two-child cap (after heavy briefing in the opposite direction just weeks ago), an almighty tantrum from the backbenches is inevitable.

And as every parent knows, the more you give in, the harder it becomes to hold the line.

Politics

UK restores diplomatic ties with Syria

Published

17 hours ago

July 6, 2025

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The UK has re-established diplomatic ties with Syria, David Lammy has said, as he made the first visit to the country by a British minister for 14 years.

The foreign secretary visited Damascus and met with interim president Ahmed al Sharaa, also the leader of the rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), and foreign minister Asaad al Shaibani.

It marks the latest diplomatic move since Bashar al Assad’s regime was toppled by rebel groups led by HTS in December.

In a statement, Mr Lammy said a “stable Syria is in the UK’s interests” and added: “I’ve seen first-hand the remarkable progress Syrians have made in rebuilding their lives and their country.

“After over a decade of conflict, there is renewed hope for the Syrian people.

“The UK is re-establishing diplomatic relations because it is in our interests to support the new government to deliver their commitment to build a stable, more secure and prosperous future for all Syrians.”

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has also announced a £94.5m support package for urgent humanitarian aid and to support the country’s long-term recovery, after a number of British sanctions against the country were lifted in April.

While HTS is still classified as a proscribed terror group, Sir Keir Starmer said last year that it could be removed from the list.

The Syrian president’s office also said on Saturday that the president and Mr Lammy discussed co-operation, as well as the latest developments in the Middle East.

Since Assad fled Syria in December, a transitional government headed by Mr al Sharaa was announced in March and a number of western countries have restored ties.

In May, US President Donald Trump said the United States would lift long-standing sanctions on Syria and normalise relations during a speech at the US-Saudi investment conference.

He said he wanted to give the country “a chance at peace” and added: “There is a new government that will hopefully succeed.

“I say good luck, Syria. Show us something special.”

Politics

Secret Service seizes $400M in crypto, cold wallet among world’s largest

Published

20 hours ago

July 6, 2025

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Secret Service seizes 0M in crypto, cold wallet among world’s largest

Secret Service quietly amasses one of the world’s largest crypto cold wallets with $400 million seized, exposing scams through blockchain sleuthing and VPN missteps.