London (Parliament Politics Magazine) – The UK prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer has committed to an ambitious climate target, aiming to cut Britain’s greenhouse gas emissions by 81% by 2035.
Speaking at the COP29 summit in Baku, Starmer stated that the UK will target an 81% reduction in emissions by 2035.
This new target updates the former Conservative government’s 78% reduction target for 2035, which had involved emissions from international aviation and shipping, and goes further than the earlier commitment of 68% reduction by 2030.
Sir Keir Starmer stated that “tell people how to live their lives” but the target was vital to the UK’s future prosperity and energy security”.
The Prime Minister also said that this new target is based on the suggestions given by the UK’s independent climate change committee (CCC) and they aimed at restricting global warming to 1.5C compared to levels in 1990.
Sir Keir avoided commenting on President-elect Donald Trump’s stance on climate policy, even during Trump’s campaign his commitment was to roll back environmental regulations.
He insisted, “Make no mistake, the race is on for the clean energy jobs of the future, the economy of tomorrow, and I don’t want to be in the middle of the pack – I want to get ahead of the game”.
Sir Keir confirmed that the existing £11.6 billion climate finance assurance by the prior government would be upheld until March 2026. While, he restrained from introducing new policies and confirmed that the target would be outlined in papers scheduled for parliamentary review before February.
Sir Keir announced a £1 billion investment in a Hull wind turbine project, citing the project’s role in producing 1,300 jobs. He stated that the world is at a “critical juncture in the climate crisis”.
While speaking at the summit, Sir Keir said “It’s not about telling people how to live their lives – I’m not interested in that”. I am interested in making sure their energy bills are stable, that we’ve got energy independence, and that we also along the way pick up the next generation of jobs”, he added.
Climate activists praised the initiative but called on the government to take bolder steps in addressing fossil fuel use.
Climate campaign manager at Global Justice Now, Izzie McIntosh said, “Making our emission reduction targets more ambitious is a step in the right direction. If Starmer is serious about climate action, however, his government needs to move further and faster to tackle the root cause of emissions: fossil fuels”.
He added, “This can’t be done with business as usual, or by luxuriating in fantasies of carbon capture and other experimental technologies holding the key”.
Michael Shanks, Labour’s Energy Minister, stated that it “wouldn’t be difficult” for Labour to outperform the Conservatives in advancing renewable energy efforts.
He insisted, “The reason people right across this country are paying more on their energy bills is because the party opposite didn’t get us off the rollercoaster of the fossil-fuel market”, adding “We’re now moving at pace.”
Energy minister Kerry McCarthy responded to a question: “It’s really important that we are stepping up and showing global ambition. Reaching net zero in this country and getting to clean power by 2030 is a massive opportunity – it is not a cost”.
The US, China, France and Germany were absent from the summit and Sir Keir was the only leader from G7 leaders attending this climate talks in Baku.
Those countries who have shown commitment to the Paris Agreement are required to submit their latest carbon reduction targets by next year till February, with MPs set to review a memo, known as the Information to Facilitate Clarity, Transparency and Understanding (ICTU) before the deadline.