Target to cut carbon emissions to be brought forward

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to announce new climate change commitments that will set the UK on course to cut carbon emissions by 78 per cent by 2035.

The commitments, which will become law, bring forward the current target for reducing carbon emissions by 15 years. This marls an increase from the current target of a 68 per cent reduction by 2030.

Under the plans, households will be further encouraged to adopt electric cars, low-carbon heating, renewable electricity and, for many, cutting down on meat and dairy. Equally, aviation is likely to become more expensive for frequent fliers with climate law expected to be extended to cover international aviation and shipping.

Environmentalists welcomed the government's move, but warned that ministers had consistently failed to achieve previous targets set by the Climate Change Committee.

Ed Miliband, Labour’s Shadow Business Secretary, commented: “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. Ministers have failed to bring forward an ambitious green recovery, passing up three major fiscal events to do so. They are flirting with proposals for a new deep coal mine, axed the vital housing retrofit scheme, and are way off track for our net zero targets.

“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. This year, as hosts of COP26, the UK has a particular responsibility to lead the world and show the way forward for a greener future. This government isn’t up to the task.”