UK Steps Up Climate Goals at COP21 With 81% Emissions Reduction Pledge

At the COP29 United Nations Climate Conference, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Tuesday that the United Kingdom would slash greenhouse gas emissions 81 percent by 2035.

The UK’s new target follows recommendations by the Climate Change Committee, who said the goal should exceed the country’s current 78 percent emissions reduction, in comparison with 1990 levels, reported Reuters.

“At this COP, I was pleased to announce that we’re building on our reputation as a climate leader, with the UK’s 2035 NDC (nationally determined contributions) target to reduce all greenhouse gas emissions by at least 81% on 1990 levels,” Starmer said at a press conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, as Reuters reported.

Starmer’s announcement was in line with Britain’s goal of making itself an international destination for clean energy companies, particularly since President-elect Donald Trump has been threatening to derail tax incentives that make the United States a draw for renewables, reported The New York Times.

“The race is on for the clean energy jobs of the future, the economy of the future,” Starmer said, as The New York Times reported.

Helen Clarkson, head of nonprofit organization Climate Group, stated in an email that the Starmer administration would need to come up with a plan for green energy companies that want to invest.

 “The economic prize on offer to the U.K is enormous,” Clarkson said in the email.

The UK’s target is one of the first NDCs to be announced at COP29, reported The Guardian. The goal is also expected to be among the most ambitious from the countries attending the summit.

NDCs are due in February of 2025.

To achieve its objective, the UK would decarbonize its power sector, expand offshore wind and invest in nuclear energy and carbon capture and storage.

Climate activists have referred to the NDCs submitted thus far by nations at the summit as “underwhelming.”

“With the warning signals flashing red, a planet battered by increasingly severe floods, storms and heatwaves, and the election of climate denier President Trump, the need for climate leadership by the UK has never been more urgent. Starmer’s 2035 carbon-reduction pledge is a step in the right direction but must be seen as a floor to the level of ambition, not a ceiling. Deeper, faster cuts are needed to help avert the climate collision course we are on,” said Rosie Downes, head of campaigns at Friends of the Earth, as The Guardian reported. “Furthermore, if these targets are to be credible, they must be backed by a clear plan to ensure they are met. The UK’s existing 2030 commitment is currently way off course.”