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19 September 2025
Jack Grogan-Fenn
September 19, 2025
A letter sent by 175 researchers at British universities and research institutions called for UK Prime Minster Keir Starmer to “robustly” challenge US President Donald Trump on his “reckless approach to climate change” during his state visit this week.
“It is critically important that you and your Government stand up to President Trump and challenge him about his dangerous and irresponsible approach to climate change, which is damaging the best interests of current and future generations in this country,” the letter read.
A joint press conference between the two leaders saw Trump lash out at wind power, branding it a “very expensive joke” while praising North Sea oil. Starmer responded that the UK’s energy mix “will include oil and gas for many years to come” but added that “we also need to mix that with renewables. And it’s the mix that’s really important.” Other topics discussed by the two leaders included defence, free speech and Palestine. Earlier this year, Starmer claimed that he had discussed climate change with Trump.
The document cited several examples of Trump’s regressive stance on climate, as well as presenting reasons why Starmer should challenge the US President on the issue. This included Trump’s administration “purging information about climate change” from Government websites, stopping climate research, and “denying the scientific evidence provided by the world’s best scientists”. “Its actions promote ignorance and denial,” the letter stated.
It also pointed to Trump’s decision to pull the US from the Paris Agreement for a second time and scrapping domestic climate change policies despite the country being the second largest greenhouse gas in the world.
The researchers additionally noted that Trump and members of his administration have been “attempting to interfere” in British climate and energy policy over the past few months. In July, Trump called for the United Kingdom to stop deploying wind turbines and made several false claims about wind farms during a visit to Scotland.
Trump’s comments in Scotland were not the only recent example of the US exerting its influence over climate-related policy beyond its borders. The EU’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) and Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) are set to suffer a significant hit due to the trade deal between the EU and the US agreed last month, as reported by Minerva Analytics. The EU pledged to “ensure” that the CSRD and CSDDD “do not pose undue restrictions on transatlantic trade” as one of 19 key terms of the trade agreement with the US.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright and SEC Chairman Paul Atkins both reportedly dismissed the EU's relatively stringent approach to climate regulation during their recent visits, with Wright claiming that the danger posed by global warming was "overhyped." Atkins also took aim at the International Financial Reporting Standards Foundation and the European Union’s corporate sustainability laws last week.
The letter was organised by Bob Ward, policy and communications director at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). Its 175 signatures from staff at British universities and research institutions includes 17 members of the UK’s national academies, who have published at least one journal paper on climate-related issues.
“There is not a single scientific academy in the world that rejects the evidence that climate change is happening and is driven by human activities, primarily the burning of fossil fuels,” the letter added. “The impacts are growing in the United Kingdom and around the world. The United Kingdom has just experienced its warmest summer on record, during which there were hundreds of wildfires and heat-related deaths across the nation.”
Separately, the Transition Pathway Initiative Global Climate Transition Centre (TPI Centre) at LSE has launched its ‘State of the Corporate Transition 2025’ report. The research found that 98% of companies assessed have failed to disclose plans to shift capital away from carbon-intensive assets or to align spending with their long-term decarbonisation goals.
It additionally found that publicly-listed companies across high-emitting sectors to exceed 1.5°C global emissions intensity budget by 61% between 2020 and 2050 on current trajectory.
“At a time of increasing transition headwinds, rigorous and transparent analysis is more critical than ever,” said Ali Amin, Policy Fellow at the TPI Centre. “Our analysis shows that companies are making some progress, but the vast majority remain off track for the Paris Agreement temperature goals. Companies need to accelerate emissions cuts and strengthen transition planning to give investors the confidence they need to invest.”
The sixth edition of the report assessed companies on their management quality and carbon performance. The TPI Centre analysed the management quality of 2,000 companies, which collectively represent U$87 trillion in market capitalisation and approximately three-quarters of total publicly listed equities worldwide, spanning 24 sectors. The organisation also conducted an in-house and “more nuanced, resource-intensive” assessment for carbon performance, being applied to 554 companies selected primarily based on market capitalisation from 12 high-emitting sectors.
“Investors want evidence of transition, not just rhetoric,” added David Russell, Chair of the TPI. “By connecting Management Quality scores with emissions data and decarbonisation levers, this report provides a clearer view of whether companies are delivering the emissions reductions required to meet their climate targets.”
Russell highlighted that the reports’ coverage has grown from an initial 105 companies across three high-emitting sectors, the assessment now covers 2,000 companies across 24 sectors, representing approximately 75% of market capitalisation of publicly listed equities globally.
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