Starmer commits to an 81% cut in UK emissions by 2035
Reacting to Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s pledge to cut UK emissions by 81% by 2035, announced today at the UN climate talks, Friends of the Earth’s head of campaigns, Rosie Downes, said:
“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.
“Keir 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.
“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.
“Climate action isn’t just good for the planet, it benefits people and the economy too. The UK government must show it means business by drawing up a new and ambitious climate action plan to deliver a cleaner, safer fairer future for us all with warmer homes, cheaper energy, cleaner air, better public transport and well-paid green jobs."
Under the Paris climate agreement, nations agreed to pledge cuts to their emissions every five years, known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
However, Friends of the Earth warns that the UK’s current 2030 target remains dangerously off track. A Friends of the Earth report published last year, estimated that under the previous government’s policies, UK greenhouse gas emissions in 2030 would only be around 59% lower than 1990 – leaving a gap of 9 percentage points with the target of 68%.
The government’s plan for meeting its climate targets – inherited from the previous administration – was found to be unlawful earlier this year following a legal challenge by Friends of the Earth and others.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
1. Friends of the Earth England, Wales and Northern Ireland (EWNI) is the UK's largest grassroots network. We're part of a global environmental justice community dedicated to the protection of the natural world and the wellbeing of everyone in it. We bring together more than two million people in 70 countries, combining people power all over the world to transform local actions into global impact. For more information visit: https://friendsoftheearth.uk/ and follow up on X or Instagram at @friends_earth, or find us on LinkedIn.