Guest blog - UK Government announcing increased national emissions reduction target to achieve 81% reduction by 2035!
Andrew Griffiths: Director of Policy & Corporate Development at PlanetMark,| IoD Council Member,TEDx Speaker,Co-Founder of Carbon Accounting Alliance.
You can see the full recommendations they made in the image below!
Here's a bit of an FAQ for things people will be wondering...
❓ HOW MUCH OF AN INCREASE WAS IT ❓
It improves upon the current target of a 78% reduction from 1990 levels.
❓ WHAT DOES THIS MEAN IN NUMBERS ❓
The UK territorial emissions journey looks like this:
1990 Actual = 836 MtCO2e
2023 Actual = 423 MtCO2e (49.5% reduction)
2030 Target = 268 MtCO2e (68% reduction)
2035 Original Target = 184 MtCO2e (78% reduction)
2035 New Target = 159 MtCO2e (81% reduction)
2050 Target = <84 MtCO2e (90%+ reduction)
This 3% additional reduction means at least another 25 MtCO2e needs to be reduced.
❓ CAN WE ACTUALLY ACHIEVE IT ❓
Short answer, yes - the UK is currently on track with it's net zero targets, having already achieved a 49.5% reduction from our 1990 baseline, having now fully phased out coal from our energy mix. With strong ambition on further roll out of renewables, electrification of transport and industrial decarbonisation, I do think this is an achievable target.
❓ WHAT'S THE CATCH ❓
This target has been set in-keeping with UNFCCC convention, i.e. it excludes key emissions like international aviation and shipping. It's also a 'territorial' view, meaning that emissions in our national value chain (i.e. everything that we import) are excluded. We absolutely still need to be taking action on these areas and mustn't lose sight of that.
❓ DOES THIS HELP COP ❓
I hope this well-timed announcement will help contribute to a sense of momentum at COP29 Azerbaijan to reinforce that progress in climate action is unstoppable, and raise the ambitions of other nations.
Whilst the UK's current emissions are now a relatively small proportion of global emissions, we began the industrial revolution that created the climate crisis and our cumulative emissions over all of that time still puts us in the top 5 global emitters of all time.
It is critical that we show leadership in navigating the path to a sustainable society, embracing the green transition and supporting other nations with everything that we learn about what works, and what doesn't.
What do you think about this announcement? Keen to hear your reflections in the comments...
P.S. Tune in to Planet Mark's Daily COP29 LinkedIn Livestream at 16:30 (UK time) and 20:30 (Baku time) where I'll cover this announcement in more detail, along with other top news stories from the day (link in the comments).
NDC NetZero EmissionsReduction NetZeroTarget #2035 Announcement
Here's a bit of an FAQ for things people will be wondering...
❓ HOW MUCH OF AN INCREASE WAS IT ❓
It improves upon the current target of a 78% reduction from 1990 levels.
❓ WHAT DOES THIS MEAN IN NUMBERS ❓
The UK territorial emissions journey looks like this:
1990 Actual = 836 MtCO2e
2023 Actual = 423 MtCO2e (49.5% reduction)
2030 Target = 268 MtCO2e (68% reduction)
2035 Original Target = 184 MtCO2e (78% reduction)
2035 New Target = 159 MtCO2e (81% reduction)
2050 Target = <84 MtCO2e (90%+ reduction)
This 3% additional reduction means at least another 25 MtCO2e needs to be reduced.
❓ CAN WE ACTUALLY ACHIEVE IT ❓
Short answer, yes - the UK is currently on track with it's net zero targets, having already achieved a 49.5% reduction from our 1990 baseline, having now fully phased out coal from our energy mix. With strong ambition on further roll out of renewables, electrification of transport and industrial decarbonisation, I do think this is an achievable target.
❓ WHAT'S THE CATCH ❓
This target has been set in-keeping with UNFCCC convention, i.e. it excludes key emissions like international aviation and shipping. It's also a 'territorial' view, meaning that emissions in our national value chain (i.e. everything that we import) are excluded. We absolutely still need to be taking action on these areas and mustn't lose sight of that.
❓ DOES THIS HELP COP ❓
I hope this well-timed announcement will help contribute to a sense of momentum at COP29 Azerbaijan to reinforce that progress in climate action is unstoppable, and raise the ambitions of other nations.
Whilst the UK's current emissions are now a relatively small proportion of global emissions, we began the industrial revolution that created the climate crisis and our cumulative emissions over all of that time still puts us in the top 5 global emitters of all time.
It is critical that we show leadership in navigating the path to a sustainable society, embracing the green transition and supporting other nations with everything that we learn about what works, and what doesn't.
What do you think about this announcement? Keen to hear your reflections in the comments...
P.S. Tune in to Planet Mark's Daily COP29 LinkedIn Livestream at 16:30 (UK time) and 20:30 (Baku time) where I'll cover this announcement in more detail, along with other top news stories from the day (link in the comments).
NDC NetZero EmissionsReduction NetZeroTarget #2035 Announcement
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