British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced a new emissions reduction target at the COP29 climate summit in Azerbaijan, vowing to lead the UK in cutting greenhouse gas emissions. The UK will now aim for an 81% cut in its emissions by 2035, exceeding the 78% pledge made by the previous Conservative government and going beyond a 68% reduction target set for 2030.
The new target aligns with recommendations from the UK’s independent Climate Change Committee (CCC), which aims to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels. Starmer stressed that the target is vital for the UK’s future prosperity and energy security, saying, “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.”
While acknowledging the need for deeper emission cuts, environmental group Global Witness criticised the UK government’s reliance on carbon capture technology to meet the target.
“Deeper cuts to emissions are welcome, but using carbon capture to meet the UK’s target is like bailing out a sinking ship with a gold-plated sieve,” said Dominic Eagleton, a senior campaigner at Global Witness. “Starmer is handing billions in taxpayer cash to profit-rich oil companies for a technology that has a 30-year track record of failure.”
Eagleton’s concerns stem from the UK government’s recent pledge of £21.7bn to support carbon capture and storage projects in Merseyside and Teesside, including for hydrogen production. Recent analysis by Carbon Tracker suggests that climate-heating emissions from the Teesside hydrogen facility could be three times higher than the level reported in its environmental impact assessment.
Starmer insisted that the government would not “tell people how to live their lives” but emphasised the importance of the new target. The target will be included in papers submitted to Parliament before February. While Starmer did not announce any new policies, he did reaffirm the government’s commitment to providing £11.6bn of climate finance until March 2026, a pledge made under the previous government.
Announcing a £1bn investment in a wind turbine project in Hull, which he said had helped create 1,300 local jobs, Starmer stressed the world was standing at a “critical juncture in the climate crisis.”
Sir Keir declined to comment on president-elect Donald Trump’s plans to cut climate regulations, instead focusing on the UK’s ambition to lead on climate action.
