The UK’s Climate Change Committee has called for the government to commit to at least 68% emissions from 1990 levels by the end of the decade.
In a letter to Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy minister Alok Sharma the CCC’s chair Lord Deben (pictured) said the target should be the minimum ambition for reduction of territorial emissions as part of the UK’s nationally determined contribution (NDC) to the UN climate progress.
It encouraged the government to set a bold 2030 commitment which could go above that target to inspire other world leaders to follow suit, adding that it would support the use of international credits to do so.
The formal advice has been provided in response to a request from the government for advice in advance of it announcing new NDC targets by the time of the Climate Ambition Summit on 12 December.
The CCC is also due to publish advice on the UK’s Sixth Carbon Budget by 9 December.
It called for the NDC to be accompanied by wider climate commitments and greater support for climate finance and strengthened climate change adaptation plans.
It added that a balanced net zero pathway would require 87% of generation to be low carbon by 2030 and for electric vehicles to make up 46% of the car fleet.