UK PM sets ‘ambitious’ new emissions cut target for 2030

Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday anunced an “ambitious” new target to reduce UK’s greenhouse gas emissions by at least 68 percent by 2030 compared to levels in 1990.

This is first target set by UK following its exit from European Union (EU) and Johnson said it demonstrated Britain’s leership in tackling climate change, having alrey cut carbon emissions more than any similarly developed country and being first major ecomy to legislate for net-zero emissions by 2050.

UK claims its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under Paris Climate Agreement is w among highest in world and commits country to cut emissions at fastest rate of any major ecomy so far.

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

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

As co-host of virtual summit on December 12, Johnson h invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a phone call last week to participate in event, which will coincide with fifth anniversary of historic Paris Agreement.

summit calls on countries around world to submit ambitious NDCs or or climate plans on ro to UN COP26 climate talks, which UK government is hosting in Glasgow next year.

“Tackling climate change is one of most urgent shared endeavors of our lifetimes, demanding bold action from every nation to prevent catastrophic global warming,” said Alok Sharma, UK Business Secretary and President of COP26.

UK’s new emissions target is among highest in world and reflects urgency and scale of challenge our planet faces. I hope or countries join us and raise bar at next week’s UN Climate Ambition Summit, and ahe of COP26 climate conference in Glasgow next year, he said.

Each party to Paris Agreement – including countries and international blocs such as EU – determines what domestic action it will take and communicates it in form of NDCs.

y are at heart of Paris Agreement goal, set at COP21 UN summit in 2015, to hold global temperature rise to well below 2 degrees and pursue best efforts to limit increase to 1.5°C.

Many countries have w me net zero commitments and this round of NDCs, which set a 2030 emission reduction target, will need to be consistent with those longer-term commitments.

Downing Street said latest anuncement achieves that and reflects independent Climate Change Committee’s vice on net zero.

UK government says its path to meeting this latest target is backed by PM’s Ten Point Plan set out earlier for a so-called green revolution, which is aimed at creating and supporting up to 250,000 British jobs by 2030.

plan sets out ambitious policies and investment, with a stated potential to deliver over GBP 40 billion of private investment by 2030.

UK’s previous NDC target was 53 percent and it says it will w communicate its full NDC to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in time for Climate Ambition Summit next week. 

(IM CREDITS: PTI)