UK submits emissions-cutting plans to UN climate body

Britain submitted further details of its plan to cut carbon emissions to the United Nations climate body on Thursday, outlining actions it is taking to hit the ambitious targets announced by Prime Minister Keir Starmer last year.

Starmer raised Britain's climate targets at last year's UN COP29 climate summit, pledging to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 81% by 2035, without explaining exactly how the goals would be met.

The submission to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), announced by Britain's climate minister Ed Miliband in a written statement to parliament, is the formal paperwork required by the UN body which keeps track of each country's targets.

The submission did not set out new policies or detailed sector-by-sector plans, but summarised the government's work to date on reducing emissions. It promised more details further down the line.

"Looking ahead, we will deliver an updated cross-economy plan to meet our climate targets in due course, with full detail of policy packages for all sectors," the document said.

Britain's announcement of more ambitious targets was seen by many as one of the few bright spots at November's COP29, which was overshadowed by concerns that Donald Trump's election in the United States could damage the international push to halt a rise in global temperatures.

"The UK’s bold new climate plan means it is even better placed to cash in on the climate action boom," UNFCCC chief Simon Stiell said in a statement reacting to the submission.

"Other countries, across the G20 and around the world, should follow suit. No one can afford to miss out."