New 2030 climate target set by the government

The Prime Minister has announced a new ambitious target to reduce the UK’s emissions by at least 68 per cent by 2030, compared to 1990 levels.

The target is the first set by the UK following its departure from the EU, something that the government claims demonstrates the UK’s leadership in tackling climate change. Over the past decade, the UK has cut carbon emissions by more than any similar developed country and was the first major economy to legislate for net zero emissions by 2050.

The new target meets the recommendation of experts at the independent Climate Change Committee who advise the government on emissions targets and is backed by the Prime Minister’s Ten Point Plan for a green industrial revolution, which he believes will create and support up to 250,000 British jobs by 2030.

Scientists have broadly welcomed the news - but say it does not guarantee dangerous climate change will be avoided. Collectively, they have urged the Prime Minister to impose policies to back up his ambitions, as currently the UK is slipping behind its existing targets.

Boris Johnson said: “We have proven we can reduce our emissions and create hundreds of thousands of jobs in the process – uniting businesses, academics, NGOs and local communities in a common goal to go further and faster to tackle climate change.

“Today, we are taking the lead with an ambitious new target to reduce our emissions by 2030, faster than any major economy, with our Ten Point Plan helping us on our path to reach it. But this is a global effort, which is why the UK is urging world leaders as part of next week’s Climate Ambition Summit to bring forward their own ambitious plans to cut emissions and set net zero targets.”

The announcement comes ahead of the UK co-hosting the Climate Ambition Summit on 12 December, which will coincide with the fifth anniversary of the Paris Agreement.

Ed Miliband, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, said: “We welcome the important strengthening of the 2030 UK target. But we believe this is the minimum we should aim for. Our goal should be to go further and faster, cutting the significant majority of emissions in this decisive decade, which is the right way to lead in creating the climate jobs of the future and keeping global warming below 1.5 degrees.

“As we move to this higher target, it is clear there is now a yawning gap between the government’s aspirations and its policies to deliver them. The government didn’t have the policies to meet their previous target and the chasm will be even greater now. So now we urgently need a plan with the policies to tackle the climate emergency and to do so in a way that creates jobs and is fair. That should start with a £30 billion stimulus to be invested in a green recovery over the next 18 months to tackle the unemployment crisis we face and kick-start the measures necessary to tackle the climate crisis.”