While still lagging on an earlier target of a 68% emissions cut by 2030, the UK was praised for putting forward a plan that is considered far more ambitious than those of most nations attending the UN summit.
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The British government unveiled a fresh target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2035, reinforcing Britain’s leading role in combating global warming.
Speaking on the second day of the UN climate summit in Baku, Azerbaijan, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said his country will cut greenhouse gas emissions by 81% by 2035 relative to 1990 levels.
The new target is line with recommendations from the Climate Change Committee, an independent advisory body to the government that last month said the target should exceed the current 78% reduction goal set by Boris Johnson’s Conservative government three years ago.
“With this government, the UK will lead the way and lead Britain and the world into a cleaner, safer, and more prosperous future for all,” said Starmer.
UK emissions were estimated at 384 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent last year – a 52% reduction since 1990. Powered primarily by coal – the dirtiest fossil fuel – for 142 years, the country closed its last remaining coal power station, Ratcliffe-on-Soar, in October.
“The United Kingdom’s new emissions reduction target is a shining example of climate leadership,” said Stientje van Veldhoven, World Resources Institute’s vice president and regional director for Europe, adding that it puts the country on track to achieve its net zero goal by 2050.
For Greenpeace, the new target is a sign that the UK is “willing to be a global leader on climate.”
“The target is a welcome indication that the new UK government recognises the urgency of reducing emissions to prevent dangerous climate impacts, guarantee greater energy security and create jobs,” said Tanya Steele, WWF-UK’s chief executive.
The announcement follows a recent legal dispute that found the country’s net-zero strategy to be in breach of the law for the second time. Handing down the verdict in May, the High Court of Justice gave the Secretary of State 12 months to draw up a revised plan that is in line with its emissions reduction target of 68% by 2030 relative to 1990 levels.
Starmer and Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni are the only two G7 leaders attending the summit. Combined, the seven economic superpowers accounted for 18% of global power sector emissions in 2023.
Featured image: UN Climate Change/Kamran Guliyev via Flickr.
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