Climate action is not ‘politically correct bunny-hugging’, Boris Johnson says

It is not “politically correct bunny hugging” to take action on climate change, Boris Johnson has said.

Addressing world leaders at an online summit organised by US president Joe Biden Mr Johnson said beating the climate emergency was about “growth and jobs”.

He made his international pitch ahead of the UK hosting leaders at the G7 summit in Cornwall and a major UN climate summit in Glasgow in the autumn.

The prime minister said there would “obviously” be a political challenge to keeping global warming to within 1.5C.

And he said: “I’m not saying any of this is going to be easy.”

But in a pitch to developing nations who feel it is unfair for them to take an economic hit by restraining their carbon emissions, Mr Johnson said it was possible for countries to have their cake and eat it.

His comments are designed to prepare the ground for major commitments by huge countries like India and China at COP-26.

“It’s vital for all of us to show that this is not all about some expensive politically correct, green, act of bunny-hugging, or however you want to put it… This is about growth and jobs, and I think the [US] President was absolutely right to stress that,” he said.

“I want to leave you with the thought that we can do better from this pandemic, by building back greener.

“And don’t forget that the UK has been able to cut our own CO2 emissions by about 42% on 1990 levels, and we’ve seen our economy grow by 73%. You can do both at once. ‘Cake: have, eat’ is my message to you.”

Mr Johnson also pledged that developing countries would have to stump up more cash for climate transition in developing countries, “exceeding the $100 billion commitment that they already made in 2009”.

He also listed the ways in which the UK had already taken steps to limit its emissions, apparently in a bid to encourage other nations to do more.