Scientists respond to Starmer’s ambitious UK climate targets

At COP29 this week, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced plans for the UK to cut carbon emissions 81% by 2035. While the ambitious target is welcome and necessary, it raises important questions about the changes needed at all levels – from policy and public services to consumer behaviour and industry practices – to deliver such a bold target. Here, some of our leading climate scientists tell us why.

Outlining key factors for the UK government to consider, Professor Karen Bickerstaff, Lead Author of Making a Net Zero Society: Follow the Social Science, said:

“Government does have a hugely important role in creating an environment in which low carbon living is possible and appealing.  This requires leadership, infrastructure (for instance, in relation to public transport), and the establishment of a dialogue with people and communities around the many (social justice, biodiversity, health and wellbeing) co-benefits of net zero changes.”

Dr Jesse Abrams, a climate systems expert and Green Futures Solutions Impact Fellow whose work aims to understand human-induced change on the natural environment, said: 

“While Starmer’s announcement of an 81% emissions reduction target demonstrates laudable ambition, the stark contrast between political messaging and implementation requirements raises important questions. The UK’s success in halving emissions since 1990 has largely relied on relatively straightforward infrastructure changes like coal phase-out, but the next phase demands a more complex interplay of technological and social transformation.

“The emphasis on making green choices “easier” rather than mandatory reflects political pragmatism, yet potentially underestimates the urgency highlighted by the UK Climate Change Committee. However, positive tipping points – where a small change triggers a rapid, self-reinforcing shift in a system – could accelerate decarbonisation. For instance, when electric vehicles reach price parity with conventional cars, it could trigger cascading effects across manufacturing, charging infrastructure, and consumer behaviour, leading to much faster adoption than current models suggest. The key question is whether this hands-off policy approach can effectively catalyse such tipping points across multiple sectors simultaneously, from transport electrification to dietary shifts, to deliver the dramatic emissions reductions needed by 2035.”

Professor Patrick Devine-Wright is a leading environmental social scientist and Director of ACCESS, whose research investigates the social and behavioural changes needed to make climate policy effective. He said:

“What Starmer’s plans now need is to show people what to do, by modelling change to society. As environmental social scientists, we know there is plenty of evidence that people actually want to change their behaviours to help tackle climate change, but they are prevented by all sorts of systemic barriers. There is also ample evidence that people recognise the co-benefits of change, notably living healthier and more active lives, and gaining a cleaner and more biodiverse environment with less pollution. But policy changes are needed to make sustainable alternatives practical, convenient and socially acceptable, as reports such as Catalysts for Change have shown.”

Image credit: Simon Dawson/No 10 Downing Street, used under Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0). Image may be automatically adjusted for screen view.