Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what progress he has made towards achieving the UK’s 2035 Nationally Determined Contribution emissions reduction target under the Paris Agreement.

The UK is a global leader in the fight against climate change, which is why at COP29, the Prime Minister announced the UK’s 1.5°C aligned 2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), to reduce all greenhouse gas emissions by at least 81% by 2035, compared to 1990 levels.

This target is ambitious and is estimated to reduce emissions by more than 60% between 2019 and 2035, aligning with the reductions in the IPCC’s global pathways which limit warming to 1.5°C with low or no overshoot.

Last week, this Government took a step further and was amongst the first few countries in the world to formally submit its 2035 NDC to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

By submitting our 2035 early, the UK is championing mitigation ambition and will be leading by example to encourage and support other countries to come forward with their own ambitious target ahead of COP30.

The UK is the first major economy to halve its emissions, having cut them by around 53% between 1990 and 2023, while also growing its economy by around 80%. We have also over-achieved against the first, second and third carbon budgets. We will deliver an updated cross-economy plan in due course, to outline the policies needed to deliver carbon budgets 4-6 on our pathway to net zero by 2050.