UK’s new emissions pledge strikes the right tone – now we need action

A commitment to cut emissions by at least 68 per cent by 2030 is bold, but campaigners have urged the prime minister to go even further. Daisy Dunne looks at the details

Rush-hour traffic in London: the PM has pledged to cut the UK’s emissions by at least 68 per cent by 2030 (Getty)

Within the next decade, just under half of the cars on Britain’s roads could be electric, and almost 90 per cent of its power could come from clean sources.

That is if Boris Johnson follows the path set out by the UK’s independent climate advisers. And this evening, he took the first step with a pledge to cut the UK’s emissions by at least 68 per cent by 2030, when compared with levels in 1990.  

It is the strongest short-term target set by any major economy. It also aligns the UK with a goal of limiting global warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, the most ambitious target of the Paris Agreement. The government’s previous 2030 target was to slash emissions by 57 per cent, compared with 1990 levels.

The new emissions target follows on from Mr Johnson’s “10-point climate plan”, which was released on 18 November.  

It comes at a pivotal moment. In just over a week’s time, the UK is to co-host a summit aimed at getting world leaders to raise their ambitions on tackling the climate crisis. This summit is a “stepping stone” towards the next round of UN climate talks, which the UK is due to host in Glasgow next year.

By making a bold update to its own international climate plan, referred to as a “nationally determined contribution” (NDC), the UK could pave the way for other countries to make similar pledges, analysts say.

“This is a global effort, which is why the UK is urging world leaders as part of next week’s Climate Ambition Summit to bring forward their own ambitious plans to cut emissions and set net-zero targets,” the prime minister is expected to say when the new target is announced.

Reacting to the news, Sonam P Wangdi, chair of the least developed countries group at the UN climate talks, said: “Their climate pledge provides a strong impetus for other major economies to follow suit.”

But the UK “must make its climate pledge real with policy and finance”, he added. “Leadership demands consistency. We look forward to theirs.”

His words were echoed by many campaign groups who urged Mr Johnson to take immediate action to ensure his ambitious new emissions cut can be met.

“Ambitions are nothing without the actions needed to realise them,” said Luke Murphy, associate director of the Institute for Public Policy Research. “If the government is serious about meeting its commitment to what it calls a world-leading emissions target, then it will need to back it up with a world-beating plan to deliver it.”

The cut to emissions must also come with new commitments to support the countries most vulnerable to the climate crisis, added Mohamed Adow, director of Nairobi-based climate and energy think tank, Power Shift Africa.

“It’s good to see the UK upping its climate targets under the Paris Agreement,” he said. “This is the kind of leadership we want to see from the hosts of the crucial UN summit next year and it will put pressure on other countries to follow suit.

“However, for people living in the vulnerable places of the world who are dealing with the impacts of climate change, we want to see not just emissions cuts but also support for those already suffering ... Until then, this is only half a plan.”

The government has come under fire in recent weeks for slashing its overseas aid budget at a time when it hopes to foster greater cooperation between countries.

In his spending plans outlined last Wednesday, the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, cut the foreign aid budget from 0.7 to 0.5 per cent of the national income – a move that some analysts warned could put the UK “on the back foot” ahead of the upcoming climate action summit.

Speaking at a press briefing yesterday, the former home secretary and climate minister Amber Rudd said: “A country that really understood the seriousness and the honour and the responsibility of hosting Cop26 next year would not be cutting its international aid right now.”

The new emissions pledge could, however, serve to help the UK improve its relations with the White House, said Nick Mabey, CEO of E3G, a global climate think tank. The US president-elect, Joe Biden, won the election in November on a campaign that featured an ambitious set of climate measures at its core.

“The UK’s new climate target clearly considered incoming US President Biden,” said Mr Mabey. “With the US returning to the Paris Agreement, the UK’s target lays climate as the foundation for rebuilding the special relationship.”