STATEMENT: UK Releases Ambitious 2035 NDC, Putting Country on Path to Net Zero

STATEMENT: UK Releases Ambitious 2035 NDC, Putting Country on Path to Net Zero

BAKU (November 12, 2024) - The United Kingdom has announced it will cut its greenhouse gas emissions 81% by 2035 compared to 1990 levels as part of its national climate commitment under the Paris Agreement. This is consistent with the UK's Climate Change Committee's advice and the UK's national Climate Act to reach net zero emissions by 2050.

Following is a statement from Stientje van Veldhoven, World Resources Institute's Vice President and Regional Director for Europe:

"The United Kingdom's new emissions reduction target is a shining example of climate leadership. Let's hope it will inspire other G20 economies to follow suit. The UK's ambitious commitment to cut emissions 81% by 2035 sets the country on a path to achieve its net zero goal by 2050.

"Setting this target is a critical step, and the country will now need to strengthen its policies and ramp up its green investments if it is to deliver in full. We strongly encourage the UK government to complement its ambitious, economy-wide goal with bold, sector-specific goals for energy, transport, and land use and agriculture when it submits its new national climate commitment in early 2025. This would build on the recommendations from the Global Stocktake at COP28 and help deliver the country's ambitious targets. Goals for specific sectors will offer the necessary detail to drive implementation, establish clear policies and send clear signals to the private sector both domestically and abroad.

"To advance its goals, the UK should continue to foster new jobs in the energy industries of the future, while making electricity cheaper and cleaner and providing more efficient and advanced zero-carbon technologies such as electric vehicles. The government should also work in partnership with farmers to support them to adopt low-carbon and other environmentally-friendly practices, and with the whole of society to protect and rewet peatlands and to advance the protection and restoration of nature."