As US president Donald Trump accused climate change scientists of having a 'political agenda', the UK government has pressed for clarity about how to achieve more cuts in greenhouse emissions.

A letter from the minister for energy and clean growth, Claire Perry, co-signed by representatives of the Scottish and Welsh governments, has been sent to the Committee on Climate Change.

It asked for a report on what level UK greenhouse gases should be by 2050 as an 'appropriate contribution' to limiting global warming to 'well below' two degrees above pre-industrial levels, and specifically to 1.5 degrees.

It also asked for indications of how these reductions might be delivered.

The letter was welcomed by the Church of England's lead bishop for environmental affairs, Nicholas Holtam. He said: 'The Government's decision to ask the Committee on Climate Change to review the UK's long-term emission reduction target is a welcome and sensible response to our changing and very pressing circumstances.

'It is more and more obvious that climate change needs our urgent attention. The recent IPCC report helpfully summarised the implications of what we know and the need to pick up the pace and ambition of our response.'

While most of the world's leaders agree that climate change is an imminent threat to the globe, US President Donald Trump remains unconvinced by the scientific consensus. As part of an interview for CBS' 60 Minutes yesterday, he accused scientists of having a 'political agenda'. 'I don't think it's a hoax, I think there's probably a difference,' he told journalist Lesley Stahl.

'But I don't know that it's manmade. I will say this. I don't want to give trillions and trillions of dollars. I don't want to lose millions and millions of jobs. I don't want to be put at a disadvantage.'