UK must raise its climate ambition to restore global reputation, says adviser

Stay informed with free updates

Simply sign up to the Climate change myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox.

The UK should commit to cutting its greenhouse gas emissions by 81 per cent by 2035 compared with 1990 levels, the government’s independent climate adviser has recommended.

The announcement comes as Labour prepares its first climate plan since coming to power, with the government expected to make an announcement about the UK’s future emissions cuts at the COP29 climate summit in Baku next month.

Countries are due to submit a new round of “nationally determined contributions”, or climate plans for up to 2035 to the UN by February 2025.

Responding to a request from energy secretary Ed Miliband for guidance on the country’s NDC, the Climate Change Committee said achieving an 81 per cent reduction in emissions, excluding shipping and aviation, would be a “fair and ambitious contribution to the Paris Agreement”, the landmark international accord to tackle rising temperatures.

“With climate damages already felt around the world, targeting an 81 per cent emissions reduction by 2035 sets the right level of ambition,” said Piers Forster, interim chair of the CCC, in a statement on Saturday.

He added that this could be achieved in a way that benefits jobs and the economy, providing the UK’s 2030 target to cut emissions by 67 per cent compared with 1990 was met.

Labour is under pressure to rebuild the UK’s reputation as a global leader on climate change and diplomacy after the previous administration’s rollback on net zero policies weakened its global standing in this area.  

Last month, UK foreign secretary David Lammy vowed to put climate change at the heart of Britian’s foreign policy, framing global warming and the nature crisis as the defining geopolitical challenges of the era.

The CCC warned in July that the UK was off track to achieve its 2030 target to cut emissions by 67 per cent compared with 1990, with only a third of the reductions required covered by credible plans.

In its latest advice, the CCC said an emissions cut of 77 to 78 per cent would be needed by 2035 if shipping and aviation were included compared with 1990 levels. This was in line with the body’s previous advice to the former Conservative government adopted as part of its sixth carbon budget.

More than 50 business leaders, including executives from Unilever, SSE, Ikea and BT Group, urged UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to follow the CCC’s advice in a letter published on Saturday.

They called for the government to set out an “ambitious and investable” 2035 NDC at COP29 in Baku, but said Labour needed to go beyond targets and embed these in policy and implantation plans.

“By setting an NDC that is backed up by an updated and credible UK net zero strategy, which includes strong and long-term sectoral policies and clear timelines, we can work collaboratively to create a virtuous circle of private investment, accelerated action, and increasing ambition,” they wrote.

Andrew Prag, managing director of policy at the We Mean Business Coalition, a group bringing companies together to push for ambitious climate action, added that “detailed implementation plans for how the NDC will be delivered in priority sectors, like heating and buildings, will be vital”. 

Labour has pledged to become the first major economy to decarbonise its energy electricity system by 2030, and to create a new state-owned company GB Energy to channel investment into clean energy.

The CCC said an “ambitious UK NDC announced at COP29 will show UK climate leadership”, adding that its recommendation was informed by the latest science, technological developments, and the UK’s national circumstances.

Carla Denyer, co-leader of the Green party, said next week’s Budget would be “mission critical to meeting the CCC’s recommendations”.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said: “We are grateful to the Climate Change Committee for this expert advice, which we will consider carefully before we announce an ambitious NDC target at COP29 to help limit global warming to 1.5 degrees.”