With the planet in peril, we religious leaders must speak truth to power | Jonathan Wittenberg

As Cop26 gets under way in Glasgow, I can't help but reflect on the UK government's very un-green budget

• Jonathan Wittenberg is rabbi of New North London synagogue

Two thousand years ago, Ecclesiastes taught that even a king is subservient to the soil. That includes prime ministers and chancellors; we are all dependent on and an interdependent part of nature.

Never before has there been a time when it is so urgent to budget for the benefit of the Earth. I am one of millions who imagined that Boris Johnson's promise last year to build back greener" was truly intended. I expected that the government of the country, entrusted with hosting Cop26 - the most important gathering ever for the future of our planet - would show that it means what it says and put its money where its slogans are.