UK’s emission reduction target shows leadership, but we need more

Much has been made of the fact that lots of world leaders are skipping this year’s UN climate talks. The UK’s prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer, isn’t one of them. Showing up personally in Baku means the British government is signalling its commitment to climate leadership, sealed with the PM’s announcement on 12 November.

It’s a big deal that the UK is committing to reducing its carbon emissions by 81% (from 1990 levels) by 2035 – as recently recommended by the climate watchdog the Climate Change Committee. The PM is keen to emphasise that this will not be about telling people how to live their lives. This is about lower bills, energy independence and a new generation of jobs.

These new Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) are ambitious compared to our previous commitments, but they’re also essential. An NDC is a country’s climate action plan for how it will reduce global greenhouse emissions to help limit warming to 1.5C (above pre-industrial levels) and adapt to climate change. Each country’s NDC sets out the specific policies and actions it will undertake to achieve those goals.

So what does this mean for people watching events at COP29 from the UK?

The new NDCs will directly impact the policy choices we make. Ambitious targets mean we need to keep up with our plans to roll out renewable energy at speed. This means attracting investment and creating jobs in the technologies of the future.

Being ambitious also helps shape the tone of global climate negotiations. The world is crying out for bold climate leadership. We hear that from people in the UK. We hear it even more loudly from leaders whose nations are on the front line of climate impacts.

The UK has been one of the highest historical emitters of greenhouse gases (GHG). We should rightly be taking the lead in our ambitions to decarbonise. Cutting back on GHGs will also help combat climate disasters closer to home, like flooding and heatwaves.

Most importantly for the work we do here at Climate Outreach – meeting our NDC targets won’t be possible without people being involved and inspired about how they can play their part. Whether it’s insulating homes, building greener businesses, or supporting clean energy infrastructure locally – people are at the heart of the next decade’s climate action.

Just last week the UK’s new energy network operator (NESO) said that getting clean power by 2030 is possible, but only with active public consent. That’s why the government urgently needs a public engagement plan as cutting-edge as all its other delivery plans. We are ready to help them shape and deliver this.