The United Nations 29th annual Climate Change Conference of the Parties (“COP”) is underway in Baku, Azerbaijan.

The BBC reported live, as delegates representing most of the planet, made their opening addresses to the Conference, highlighting their achievements, and setting out their targets to take further action to cut global carbon emissions, and curb Climate Change.

The BBC’s Key takeaways:

• Starmer said there are “two paths” on climate change, one of inaction and one that is “fixed firmly on the opportunities for tomorrow”
• He adds that this is an opportunity for investment, better jobs and developing the tech of the future
• Starmer used his first public address at COP29 to announce a new climate target for the UK – to reduce the country’s emissions by 81% by 2035 against 1990 levels
• He outlined that in the first 100 days on government he has taken steps to close the UK’s final coal power plant and scrap the ban on onshore wind
• When questioned by BBC’s Alex Forsyth, he says he won’t dictate how people live their lives but he is clear that reaching the ambitious clean power 2030 mission is vital
• He ended his speech saying there is a “race on for the next generation of jobs” in the renewable sector, concluding “I want to be in it and I want to win it”

You can read the full address here: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/pm-remarks-at-cop29-12-november-2024

Is the UK’s 81% emissions cut target actually new?

“Yes, and no” reports climate and environment researcher, Mark Poynting.

The UK has two sets of targets: international and domestic.

Under its international obligations, the UK has to submit new emissions reduction targets every five years, known as “nationally determined contributions” (NDCs).

The aim is to ensure countries increase their targets over time, and can be held accountable on the global stage.

The UK’s existing NDC was a 68% emissions cut by 2030, compared with 1990 levels. So an 81% cut by 2035 is new, and more ambitious.

But the UK also has legally-binding domestic targets on its path to net zero emissions by 2050.

These are set in five-year chunks, known as “carbon budgets”.

Its carbon budget for the period 2033-2037 had already been set.

And while there are slight technical differences in how they are measured, today’s announcement is consistent with that carbon budget.