Cooling towers at a coal-fired power station in Ratcliffe-on-Soar, UK Nature Picture Library/Alamy
The UK government has pledged to cut the country鈥檚 greenhouse gas emissions by at least 68 per cent by 2030 compared with 1990 levels, marking a significant bump in ambition from existing plans for a 53 to 57 per cent reduction.
The new goal comes nine days ahead of the UK hosting a 鈥渃limate action summit鈥 to encourage other countries to declare tougher climate plans, known as nationally determined contributions (NDCs), under the Paris Agreement. Stronger plans are needed to close the gap between the catastrophic 3掳C-plus temperature rises that current NDCs have us on track for, and the Paris deal鈥檚 goal of limiting global warming to 1.5掳C.
鈥淭his is the most significant NDC announcement so far from any major economy,鈥 said Richard Black at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, a UK-based think tank, in a statement.
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The new target is exactly in line with what the government鈥檚 official climate adviser, the Climate Change Committee (CCC), called for in . The group said 68 per cent would be 鈥渨orld-leading鈥 compared with existing plans of governments.
The UK had previously promised a 53 per cent cut in emissions as part of a joint effort with the rest of the European Union, but Brexit has required the UK to produce a new NDC. Separately, in domestic legislation, the UK had also pledged a 57 per cent cut by 2032.
Today’s bolder target was welcomed by environmental groups and businesses, including Greenpeace, WWF, Tesco, BT and energy firms.
Nonetheless, it is clear far more action will be needed if the UK is to meet the new ambition. The government鈥檚 own analysis last week showed that recent major policies, such as banning new petrol and diesel car sales by 2030, had failed to do enough to put the UK on track even for the old goal of 57 per cent by 2032. The new target widens that gap further.
The new plan doesn’t cover shipping and aviation, despite the CCC today calling for the new NDC to 鈥渋nclude clear commitments鈥 to curb emissions from both sectors. It also only covers territorial emissions, so doesn’t account for emissions from goods produced overseas bought by people in the UK.
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