The Climate Change Committee (CCC) has urged Boris Johnson to dramatically increase the UK’s 2030 emission reduction target.
Lord Deben, chair of the CCC, outlined the recommendation that the UK should commit to a 68 per cent reduction in territorial emissions by 2030 compared to 1990 levels in a letter to Alok Sharma.
The peer was responding to a request from the business and energy secretary for a sneak preview of the CCC’s advice on the UK’s nationally determined contribution (NDC), which governments signed up to the Paris climate change agreement must produce to demonstrate how they intend to deliver the 2015 deal. The advice is contained in the CCC’s sixth carbon budget, covering 2033 to 2037, which the statutory climate change advisor is publishing next week.
The CCC’s fresh target goes beyond the 61 per cent reduction in emissions expected under the fifth carbon budget, which covers the years 2028 to 2032.
Lord Deben petitioned the prime minister to go further: “We encourage the prime minister to make a 2030 commitment that is as bold as possible, to inspire other world leaders to follow suit. As such, the government may choose to go beyond a 68 per cent reduction.
“This trajectory for UK emissions is eminently achievable, provided effective policies are introduced across the economy without delay.”
In the letter, Lord Deben wrote that the CCC would accept the use of international credits to offset emissions reductions beyond 68 per cent.
The peer said the increased target would show a “decisive commitment” to achieving net zero emissions by 2050 that is “consistent” with the Paris Agreement and would place the UK among the “leading countries in climate ambition”.
A 68 per cent commitment aligns with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s published pathways for keeping average temperature rises within 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
Current NDCs submitted under the Paris Agreement are predicted to lead to global average temperatures rising around 3°C by 2100 compared to pre-industrial levels, according to the CCC.
According to press reports, the government is due to announce a new NDC commitment as soon as today, ahead of its Climate Ambition Summit on 12 December.