a new evey factory plus a new eyey factory plus a in a new evey factory plus a new giger factory in a new evey factory plus a new gigerfactory for batteries. new giger factory for batteries. that is because the government, we have set the hard deadline for the sale of new, hydrocarbon internal combustion engine vehicles by 2030, the most aggressive deadline in the whole of europe. and again, we call, on the world to come together to drive this market in a low carbon way, drive this market so that by 2040, there are only zero emission vehicles on sale anywhere in the world. and my point is, you can make these cuts in pollution, massive cuts in pollution and emissions while driving jobs and growth. we have cut greenhouse gas emissions by 44% in the last 30 years, while expanding our gdp by 78%. we will now go further by 78%. we will now go further by implementing one of the biggest nationally determined

contributions currently being offered. the national contribution is the ndc, the pledge that in the run—up to cop26, we are asking every country to cut carbon. we are going to go down by 68% by 2030, 60 8% cut in carbon by 2030, 60 8% cut in carbon by 2030, compared to where we were in 1990. we are making a bet on hydrogen, we will be expanding our nuclear capacity and you can see the logic of going for more renewables when you look at the spike in hydrocarbon prices, particularly gas. we are helping people to retrofit their homes with new sources of heating. jet zero, the first guilt free, carbon

free passenger plane. we also recognise this is notjust about using technical fixes, technology to cut c02. we also need to work together, around the world, to restore the balance between humanity and nature. a balance that's obviously been proved to be so hopelessly out of whack by the emergence of a zoonotic pandemic, for instance. we need to reverse the loss of trees and biodiversity by 2030. to halt the loss of trees. that is what we should do. i pledge to do that at the cop26 in a0 days' time. in the uk we are committed to beautifying the landscape, strengthening protection against flooding and by planting millions more trees, beautifultrees. by planting millions more trees, beautiful trees. to stop soil erosion, provide habitats for insects and birds and mammals, which are called

helped to fix carbon in the atmosphere. we must also work towards the crucial un summit on biodiversity in china, and by the way, on the subject of planting trees, we are going to do millions in the uk, but i was absolutely blown away... i invite everybody to follow the example of imran khan of pakistan, who has pledged to plant 10 billion trees in pakistan alone. he's going some. it's very important that we in the developed world recognise our obligation to help the less developed countries down this path in all these technologies. we've got to be honest. in the united kingdom, in britain, we started this industrial hydrocarbon —based revolution. we were the first, as great parts of acrid

smoke went into the heavens on a scale big enough to do arrange the natural order. we were in fact doing something rather wonderful in one sense, setting in train a new era of technology that was itself to lead to a massive global reduction in poverty, emancipating billions around the world. the industrial revolution was a good thing fundamentally, but we were also unwittingly beginning to quilt the great tea cosy of carbon dioxide around the world. so we understand that when the developing world looks to us to help, we must, we must take our responsibilities. and that's why, two years ago, when i last came here, mr president, i committed that the uk would provide £11.6 billion to help the rest of the world tackle climate change. and i want you

to know that, in spite of all the pressures on our finances in the uk caused by covid, we have kept that promise to the letter. so i'm very pleased and encouraged by some of the pledges we have heard here, including from denmark, and now a very substantial commitment from the united states that brings us within touching distance of about $100 billion pledge that we need, every year. but we must go further, and we've got to be clear that government cash alone is not going to be enough. we must work together so the international financial institutions, the imf, internationalfinancial institutions, the imf, the world bank, are working with governments around the world to leveraged in the private sector, because it is the trillions of dollars of private sector cash that will enable developing nations, and the

whole world, all of us, to make the changes necessary. and to give an example, it was the uk government that set the strike price under the contract for difference system, the strike price for the private sector to come in and transform our country into the saudi arabia of wind, if you see what i mean. we don't resemble saudi arabia in many ways, but we produce more offshore wind than any other country in the world. 0nly yesterday, the uk's first sovereign green bond raised £10 million on the markets. from hard—headed investors, who want to make money. my point is these investments will not only help the countries of the world to tackle climate change, they will produce millions, literally in the decades to

come, millions and millions of high wage, high skilled jobs. and today's workforce, and the next generation of green workers will have the extra satisfaction of knowing that they are not only doing something useful and well remunerated providing green energy, they are also helping to save the planet at the same time. every day, start—ups are producing new ideas, from feeding seaweed to cows, to restrain the traditional signs of digestive approval, to using artificial intelligence and robotics to enhance reproduction, to capture c02 and put it into brownies, and so on. it's these technological breakthroughs that will cut the cost for consumers, so that we have nothing to fear, and everything to gain from this green industrial revolution.

and when kermit the frog, kermit the frog sang, it's not easy being green, remember that one? i want you to know that he was wrong. he was wrong. it is easy, it's not only easy, it's lucrative and right to be green. he was unnecessarily rude to miss piggy, i thought, kermit the frog. but it is easy to be green. we have the technology, as i used to say when i was a kid. we can do it. in a0 days' time, we have the choice before us. the poet sophocles is often quoted, by me anyway, as saying there are many terrifying things in the world, but none is more terrifying than mankind. and

it's certainly true that sophocles was right in that sense, our species is uniquely capable of our own destruction and the destruction of everything around us. but if you look at the greek, what sophocles actually said was that man... terrifying isn't quite right in the translation of deinos... he said humanity is awesome, terrifying but also awesome. and i think he was right there. we have an awesome power to change things, and to change things for the better. and an awesome power to save ourselves. and in the next a0 days, we have to choose, the world has to choose what kind of awesome we are going to be.

and to get back to my metaphor of adolescence, i hope that cop26 will be a 16th birthday party for humanity, which is not miserable, but a party which we choose to grow up, to recognise the scale of the challenge we face, and to do what posterity demands that we must. and so, i invite you, i invite this great un assembly, invite this great un assembly, in november, to come and take part, by your actions, in november, to come and take part, by youractions, in in november, to come and take part, by your actions, in what i hope will be a global coming of age, and to blow out the candles, if you like, blow out the candles of a world on fire. that's what i think we should do. thank you all very much, thank you for the pledges you

are making. i hope you will increase them and do what is necessary. as the president, see you in glasgow. thank you. borisjohnson, the prime boris johnson, the prime minister, borisjohnson, the prime minister, addressing the un general assembly in new york. stark warnings about climate change. but also trying to sound a little upbeat, to talk about the solutions and opportunities for action. well, our correspondent peter bowes has been listening to that speech. he is really setting the stage for cop26, the climate summit in four weeks' time in glasgow, isn't he? , ., , ., u, in four weeks' time in glasgow, isn't he? , ., ., isn't he? yes, it was a call to arms. isn't he? yes, it was a call to arm with — isn't he? yes, it was a call to arms. with that _ isn't he? yes, it was a call to arms. with that summit - isn't he? yes, it was a call to arms. with that summit in i isn't he? yes, it was a call to - arms. with that summit in mind. certainly a colourful speech, typically borisjohnson invoking a greek poet and kermit the frog, opposite ends of the cultural spectrum, but his point was that it is up to

mankind, and he was trying to engage as large an audience as possible, it's up to mankind to tackle the problem of global warming and to emerge out of adolescence, as he put it, and take the action necessary to reduce c02 take the action necessary to reduce co2 emissions. it was like an archaeology, a biology lesson to start with, talking about the fossil evidence that showed mammalian species tend to be around for a million years before becoming extinct or evolved into something else. he said humanity has only been here for 200,000 years, and he equated that to the human life span, about 80 years. he said, it means we are essentially just coming out of adolescence, sweet 16, as he put it, emerging into adult hood. that was his overriding theme, that we are adults, we are grown up, and no one else is going to clean up the mess in the world caused by man other than ourselves. this was an appeal

to world leaders, but a broader message, that now is the time, looking ahead especially to that summit in a few weeks, at the end of next month, with some very difficult decisions having to be made.- some very difficult decisions having to be made. saying it is time to take _ having to be made. saying it is time to take responsibility, - time to take responsibility, really. he had some nice words for china, as well, didn't he? yes, he praised china and president xi about the financial support of coal overseas, internationally, adding that he hopes china reduces dependence on coal domestically. he said setting a good example in pakistan, imran khan, planting 10 billion trees. he said he hopes this is something other countries would emulate as well. it was full of interesting, colourful references, that i think he hopes will resonate around the world. clearly very conscious about the fact he is hosting

the conference in glasgow in a few weeks, and the pressure is going to be on him to a large extent. he talked about a lot of things happening environmentally in the uk, using them as good examples to the rest of the world. this was certainly an acknowledgement from him that there is a lot of hard work ahead, and he summed it up with his reference to kermit the frog, the moppet who once sang about it not being easy to be green. he said it is easy to be green. he said it is easy to be green. he laid out a whole raft of reasons why it is. ., , , ~' , ~ whole raft of reasons why it is. ., , , ~ , . ., is. the money is key. we heard from joe biden _ is. the money is key. we heard from joe biden talking - is. the money is key. we heard from joe biden talking about i from joe biden talking about getting the private sector getting the private sector getting involved, and how important that is as well, didn't he?— didn't he? yes, he said it cannotjust _ didn't he? yes, he said it cannotjust be _ didn't he? yes, he said it cannotjust be up - didn't he? yes, he said it cannotjust be up to - cannotjust be up to governments around the world. it is absolutely about embracing the private sector. he clearly welcomed the initiative taken by the united states, essentially doubling

the amount of money it is providing especially for developing countries around the world that need a tremendous amount of assistance to fight global warming. amount of assistance to fight globalwarming. but amount of assistance to fight global warming. but he was at pains to point out it is the private sector and this is going to be a partnership if it is to work. again emphasising the sense of urgency there. thanks very much, peter. at a virtual summit on the sidelines of the assembly, president biden has asked world leaders to pledge to vaccinate 70% of the world's population against covid—19 by september next year. he said america would buy an additional 500 million doses of the pfizer vaccine, to donate to poorer countries. research underlines a stark contrast — richer countries have vaccinated much of their populations, while poorer ones are lagging far behind. 0ur health editor hugh pym has more details. wealthier nations are pushing on with boosterjabs, but it's a different story in low—income countries in africa and around the world, where vaccination rates are much lower.

that divergence has been criticised by the world health organization, and there've been growing calls for more vaccine doses to be diverted to those most in need. they're going to come together, and they're going to attack the problem... a leading advocate for vaccine supplies to africa said action was needed by the richest nations. promises do not translate into vaccines and jabs in people's arms. commitments are not jabs in people's arms. people are dying for want of a vaccine. now, i spoke at the who meeting, and on that same day, a member of my household had just died, a 30—year—old woman, because she was unvaccinated. new research suggests that, by the end of this year, there'll be around 1 billion surplus vaccine doses in the g7 group of the wealthiest nations, including the uk and the european union. of those, around 100 million doses will be past their use—by date by december. as of now, estimates vary, but it's thought that only around 3% of the population of africa have been fully vaccinated.

that's simple waste. people hate waste. lives could be saved as a result of having these vaccines. the former prime minister gordon brown, now who ambassador for health financing, says shifting vaccines is in everyone's interests. if the disease spreads in africa and in low—income countries, and if it mutates and there are new variants, it's going to come back to haunt even the fully vaccinated here. nobody's safe until everybody's safe. the g7 summit in cornwall injune pledged a billion doses to poor countries as a big step towards vaccinating the world, but critics say the process has moved too slowly. today, president biden, at a covid—19 virtual summit, promised to double the us contribution. this is a global tragedy, - and we're not going to solve this crisis with half measures - or middle—of—the—road ambition. we need to go big. but will a pledge to "go big" actually deliver?

african countries, and others, will want to see vaccine supplies arriving at a faster rate before passing judgment. hugh pym, bbc news. stay with us on bbc news, still to come. growing fears in the canary islands that lava from the la palma volcano could create a wall of toxic gases when it flows into the sea. benjohnson, the fastest man on earth, is flying home to canada in disgrace. all athletes should be clean going into the games. i'm just happy that justice is served. it is a simple fact that this morning, these people were in their homes. tonight, those homes have been burnt down by serbian soldiers and police. all the taliban positions alongj here have been strengthened, presumably in case i the americans invade.

it's no use having a secret service which cannot preserve its own secrets against the world, and so the british government has no option but to continue this action, even after any adverse judgment in australia. concorde had crossed the atlantic faster than any plane ever before, breaking the record by six minutes. this is bbc news, the latest headlines. the british prime minister, borisjohnson has warned the united nations, generalassembly, it's essential the world comes together to tackle climate change. president biden has promised to donate half a billion coronavirus vaccines to poorer countries — the world the world health organization

says help is needed now. lava flowing from the volcano that erupted last weekend on the canary island of la palma has destroyed about 200 homes. and now, there are fears that when the lava hits the sea, it could create explosions. danjohnson reports from la palma. it's possible the wind direction has changed today because we're starting to see more ash falling in other places. this is la laguna, a villagejust outside the restricted zone. these are the roadblocks where police are keeping people back from the villages that have been evacuated. occasionally, a few residents are allowed through to get the last of their belongings. but in the main, there are more roadblocks and more roads that are disrupted because of where the lava is flowing. some roads have been completely smothered. others the police have closed to keep people back. and you can see how much ash has fallen here, and it is coming down the whole time. sometimes really fine volcanic dust, sometimes thicker particles. if i hold out my hand, you might be able to actually see it falling

from the sky and landing. and that's happening continuously. that's why we've got the masks and we've also got eye protection as well. one other problem has been trafficjams because of the amount of roads that are closed. the traffic is building up with people trying to get through, and there's a risk that this side of the island actually gets cut off by the lava flow. that will probably happen at some point. so, we're starting to see how everyday life is being disrupted here and this eruption is causing problems notjust for the people whose homes are directly at risk. and the big question is how long will this last and what will the future impact be? we've seen banana plantations which are the main source of industry here, we've seen banana leaves covered in ash. will they be productive in future? that's one question. but for now, the emphasis is still on the volcano that continues to erupt and the sky is looking a bit darker today, with that ash cloud continuing to spread particles right across the eastern

and southern tip of la palma. let's get some of the day s other news. the five permanent members of the un security council are meeting to discuss how to respond to the taliban takeover of afghanistan. britain has been calling in advance for a unified response, but russia and china both appear more willing to recognise the taliban government than either the united states or the uk. the united states and france have attempted to defuse the row sparked by the security pact announced last week between the us, australia and britain. joe biden and emmanuel macron agreed over the phone that france would reinstate its ambassador in washington. they also agreed to meet in person in october. colombia says 19,000 migrants, most of them from haiti, are stuck in a coastal town near the border with panama. the authorities say it's been overwhelmed. many of the migrants are trying to reach the us. panama only allows 250 people

per day to cross the gulf of uraba, near the border between the two countries. closing arguments have begun in the new york sex trafficking trial of r kelly — the r&b singer accused of grooming and sexually abusing women and underage girls. earlier he declined to testify in his own defence. the jury is expected to retire to consider its verdict later on thursday. over two decades, more than 800,000 americans were deployed to afghanistan, often for long and multiple tours. left behind were the friends and relatives of those who served — millions of people impacted directly and indirectly. here is one family s story. i had been in the military for 15 or 16 years, and then came 9/11. a few months later, i was on a hillside in nangarhar under rocket attack. my family was incredibly supportive.

my wife, ellyn, was in the army for four years. she really understood. every day of every deployment is difficult. it's like almost, like, being a widow, but you're not. they're still there. it was difficult, it was trying, but i learned a tremendous amount and it was an amazing honour. it reinforced my desire tojoin. l ijoined at 17. even if we had wanted to try, i don't think we could've talked him out of it. he was actively trying to get sent over there. i love this picture of you. it looks like you were just coming off of a shift. yeah, same mission that got six guys hurt, same mission - where we lost the interpreter. yeah, i remembersomething, i remember when you told me that story. cos that was the first i'd heard about it. yeah. i wanted it. . i sought it out.

i probably could've gone into it a little bit - wiser, but experience is the best teacher. . they each went into their deployments thinking a certain way, feeling that they were accomplishing something specific and honourable. and finally we take you to syria where displaced children have composed letters of peace. this paper roll spans 75 metres, it's being held up by syrian children in idlib province who've written messages and drawn pictures of their hopes and dreams. the roll has toured many of the camps across northern syria housing children displaced due to war. it was displayed to mark the international day of peace, with some of the messages reading "i dream of returning home" and "i want the war to end".

you can reach me on twitter — i'm @lucyegrey. hello. wednesday wasn't a bad day at all for the greater part of england and wales. but, quite a significant but, there's a different kettle of fish at least for a time through wednesday in parts of scotland and northern ireland, where you had to contend with the weather front which is bringing this increase in cloud and at times bits and pieces of rain. through into thursday, we're going to see quite a vigorous area of low pressure dragging its way over towards southern parts of scandinavia. notice how tightly packed those isobars are. the wind will be a real feature across the north of mainland scotland and especially through the northern isles. it isn'tjust the strength of the winds, there will be showers if not longer spells of rain. here, we have the gusts and you'll see i'm indicatimg they are 65, possibly 70mph as we get on through

the daylight hours of thursday morning. even further south, the gusts really quite significant. wednesday's weather front just producing the odd bit and piece of rain and sufficient cloud across wales for a time and then slumping to the southwest of england. all the while the low pressure moves away from scotland, pulling its frontal system with it. a weak linkage back towards more cloud and rain getting towards the western side of scotland. but with sunshine through wales, the midlands and eastern england through the afternoon, 22, possibly 23 degrees. much of the weather action across the northwestern corner of scotland as we bring new weather fronts in with a low centre close to the eastern side of iceland. through friday, the windsjust beginning to fall back to the west and the southwest — a relatively mild direction. any suggestion of the cold air behind tonight's lowjust over the northeast of scotland, that will be pulled away and will all be flooded into this moisture—laden west

to south—westerly air flows as you get on through friday. anywhere facing those western shores could well pick up enough cloud for the odd bit of rain, but again, some brightness and could be looking at 22, 23 degrees. come the weekend, it won't be west and southwest, it will be south and south—westerly winds which will pump it really mild air up and across the greater part of the british isles. it's not wall—to—wall sunshine, nor is it dry for everybody. there will be a scattering of showers, but for the time of year, i suspect it will feel very pleasantly mild.

this is bbc news,

the headlines: the british prime minister, borisjohnson, has warned that november's climate summit in scotland is a critical turning point for humanity. in a speech to the un generalassembly, mrjohnson called for all countries to commit to substantial reductions in carbon emissions by 2030. president biden has announced the united states will donate another five hundred million coronavirus vaccines to low income countries in need. the world health organization has warned they need help now. mr biden described the pandemic as a global tragedy which couldn't be solved with half measures. scientists in the canary islands of spain have warned of the danger from exploding rock when lava from an erupting volcano flows into the sea. the authorities have declared a four—kilometre exclusion zone offshore to stop sightseers in boats getting too close. now on bbc news, it's the media show.