In a bid to burnish Britain’s sustainability credentials in advance of the COP26 conference in November, prime minister Boris Johnson recently announced that the UK was now targeting a 78% cut in carbon emissions by 2035. This establishes an interim target to the UK’s journey to net zero carbon by 2050.

It is a figure just 2% short of the UK’s original target of an 80% reduction in emissions by 2050, which was revised to 100% in 2019. The new 78% target includes the UK’s share of emissions from shipping and aviation; indeed this legally binding target is said to be the most ambitious in the world.

Is this another example of Johnson’s belief in the power of PR over physical action or a serious bid to clean up Britain’s emissions? The target comes from the Climate Change Committee (CCC), which advises the government on emissions reductions and recommended the 78% cut last December.

…