London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Sep 03, 2025

Government to speed up UK climate change target

Government to speed up UK climate change target

Radical new climate change commitments are to become law in the UK, Boris Johnson will announce this week.

The prime minister will say carbon emissions will be cut by 78% by 2035 - almost 15 years earlier than previously planned - which would be a world-leading position.

And for the first time the climate law would be extended to cover international aviation and shipping.

But Labour said the government had to match "rhetoric with reality".

It urged Mr Johnson to treat "the climate emergency as the emergency it is" and show "greater ambition".

The government has accepted the advice of its independent Climate Change Committee (CCC) to adopt the emissions cut, which is based on 1990 levels.

The move comes as US President Joe Biden prepares to stage a climate summit from Washington.

For households the UK targets will lead to more electric cars, low-carbon heating, renewable electricity and, for many, cutting down on meat and dairy produce.

Homes will need to be much better insulated, and people will be encouraged to drive less and walk and cycle more. Aviation is likely to become more expensive for frequent fliers.

Environmentalists welcomed the government's move, but warned that ministers had consistently failed to achieve previous CCC-set targets.

And they insisted that Chancellor Rishi Sunak must show clearly how the transition is to be funded.

'Not on track'


"This is fantastic - very big news," Leo Murray of the climate charity Possible said.

But he added: "We're not on track to meet previous climate commitments and in many ways the government is still failing."

Mr Murray said ministers were "facing both directions at the same time", as they had scrapped the Green Homes Grant for insulating homes, had not stopped airport expansion and were "still pushing a £27bn roads budget".

Ed Matthew, campaigns director of climate think tank E3G, said: "Setting an ambitious emission reduction target would boost the UK's diplomatic drive to persuade other countries to set out ambitious targets of their own."

He added: "The UK now has the opportunity to spark a global green industrial revolution, but ultimately its credibility will rest on action."


The CCC report accepted by the government says low-carbon investment must scale up to £50bn a year in the UK. But it adds that in time fuel savings from more efficient equipment will cancel out investment costs.

The CCC believes around 1% of GDP - national wealth - would need to be spent on shifting away from fossil fuels over 30 years.

Its chairman, Lord Deben, said previously: "The implication of this path is clear: the utmost focus is required from government over the next 10 years.

"If policy is not scaled up across every sector, if business is not encouraged to invest, if the people of the UK are not engaged in this challenge - the UK will not deliver Net Zero by 2050. The 2020s must be the decisive decade of progress and action."

Net Zero means cutting emissions as far as possible, then capturing any emissions that cannot be prevented through tree-planting or engineering.

The government has adopted the new 2035 deadline for a 78% emissions cut because scientists say this is needed to keep the rise in global temperatures close to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.

For Labour, shadow business secretary Ed Miliband said: "The character of this government on climate change is now clear: targets without delivery.

"So while any strengthening of our targets is the right thing to do, the government can't be trusted to match rhetoric with reality."

He added: "We need a government that treats the climate emergency as the emergency it is. That means greater ambition than this government matched with much more decisive action."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Lula and Putin Hold Strategic BRICS Discussions Ahead of Trump–Putin Summit
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
Investigations Reveal Rise in ‘Sex-for-Rent’ Listings Across Canada Exploiting Vulnerable Tenants
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
Ukrainian Nationalist Politician Andriy Parubiy Assassinated in Lviv
Corporate America Cuts Middle Management as Bosses Take On Triple the Workload
Parents Sue OpenAI After Teen’s Death, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Suicide
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Label on Digital Streaming Content
×