BORIS Johnson seems to have no coherent plan on climate change. More worryingly, he has very few arrangements in place for the critically important gathering of world movers and shakers at COP26 in Glasgow this November.

The UK Government’s climate change policy is coming apart at the seams. News that Johnson and his sidekick Dominic Cummings had sacked Claire O’Neill, the Government’s appointed president for the summit, overshadowed the big launch of their COP26 strategy with environmental heavyweight David Attenborough.

Experts who attended the launch were also bemused by the lack of clarity on key points, with the absence of opportunities for questions to Johnson and no journalists present to record this supposedly auspicious occasion.

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On the same day, the now jobless O’Neill issued a damning analysis of the Prime Minister’s leadership failure on the summit, accusing him of a “greenwash” and an inability to “get it” when it comes to the serious issue of the global climate emergency.

It seems that true to form, Johnson is not good at being a team player and building healthy relationships. With O’Neill gone, his government is in limbo with regards to the summit until it is clear who will be taking over. To make matters worse, it’s an open secret that Johnson has been using this important conference as an opportunity to further sideline Scotland’s First Minister, with threats to exclude Nicola Sturgeon along with Saltire flags. There was even a rumour circulating that he wanted to move the event to a different location across the Border.

It seems Johnson doesn’t care one whit about having a positive relationship with Scotland in terms of making this vital summit a success or engaging in reassuring diplomacy for the 200 delegates attending.

If Nicola Sturgeon isn’t at the COP26 gathering, people will be asking questions. Sturgeon and the Scottish Government’s credentials on climate action are second to none as far as our international contacts are concerned, with Scotland leading the way on the transition to renewables and carbon-zero targets.

READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon requests role for Scotland in COP summit planning

As our FM has pointed out on social media, she has already been invited by the UN to the past three COPs, in Paris, Bonn and Row. It’s unlikely that this warmth will not be extended to the FM’s home city of Glasgow this November. After all, this is a UN event, jointly hosted by the UK and Italy and located in Scotland. To omit the attendance of the Scottish First Minister would be a massive diplomatic faux pas.

The Scottish Government is on very good terms with the United Nations in relation to their substantive efforts to tackle climate change. Scotland is also on its radar in terms of our record on human rights and poverty according to the Special Rapporteur from the UN, Philip Alston, who rightly praised Scotland’s attempts to mitigate “the systematic immiseration of the British population” through the UK Government’s austerity measures. In terms of relationships with the UN, the UK Government has some catching up to do.

Nicola Sturgeon has this week done her utmost to scotch any rumblings about bad relations with our Westminster cousins, re-iterating her commitment to making the COP26 event a success. Johnson would do well to accept this undeserved olive branch.

Because he might find that by keeping Sturgeon out of the party, the whole focus of the event becomes about this unfair exclusion, the giant elephant in the room, and precludes all other progress. Perhaps this has been his plan all along; he certainly seems to enjoy the politics of distraction when it comes to hiding his lack of policy on important matters, in this case, the real and present danger to our future with rapidly rising temperatures.

READ MORE: Prime Minister insists COP26 will be fantastic after firing chair

Environmental campaigners and climate activists are concerned that the UK lacks a clear strategy for not only the conference itself but its wider climate obligations. Climate scientists have already pointed out the lack of credible moves towards achieving net-zero targets as well as building firm foundations to ensure clarity on reversing global emissions.

They are worried about a conflict of interest between trade deals and reaching agreement on vital global climate targets, with Johnson eager to cosy up to the arch climate denialist across the Atlantic, President Trump himself.

Trump has already put the kibosh on the Paris Agreement from 2015 and the important pledges made to halt global warming to below 2C. Despite overwhelming scientific evidence, he is expanding America’s fossil fuel capabilities and doubling down on appeals to his core base.

More ominous signals from Number 10 this week involved Michael Gove, or the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster as he is now entitled, who waded into the climate debate and Johnson’s role. It’s usually a bad sign when Gove sticks up for his alpha competitor and now boss, but when he described his first encounter with Johnson 30 years ago where Boris informed him that he was a green Tory, it was hard to know whether to laugh or cry at this level of delusion.

READ MORE: No 10 denies Boris Johnson made Nicola Sturgeon 'Krankie' slur

Gove went on to reassure worried environmentalists and humans in general that this UK Government was in the process of setting ambitious climate goals and that other countries should take its lead.

There’s not much proof in the pudding so far. As Claire O’Neill warned us, if Johnson makes a promise, “get it in writing, get a lawyer to look at it, and make sure the money is in the bank”. In other words, don’t hold your breath on Johnson getting climate change done.