- Jaiswal slams majestic 161 but Australia fight back in Perth
- Edinburgh's alternative tour guides show 'more real' side of city
- IPL teams set to splash the cash at 'mega-auction' in Saudi Arabia
- Olympics in India a 'dream' facing many hurdles
- Wounded Bangladesh protesters receive robotic helping hand
- Majestic Jaiswal 141 not out as India pile pain on Australia
- Giannis, Lillard lead Bucks over Hornets as Spurs beat Warriors
- Juan Mata agent slammed as 'cowardly' by angry A-League coach
- Marta inspires Orlando Pride to NWSL title
- Palestinian pottery sees revival in war-ravaged Gaza
- Main points of the $300 billion climate deal
- Robertson wants policy change for overseas-based All Blacks
- Israel retreat helps rescuers heal from October 7 attack
- Afghan women turn to entrepreneurship under Taliban
- Mounting economic costs of India's killer smog
- At climate talks, painstaking diplomacy and then anger
- Uruguayans head to polls with left hoping for comeback
- Trump's mass deportation plan could end up hurting economic growth
- Iran director in exile says 'bittersweet' to rep Germany at Oscars
- US consumers to bargain hunt in annual 'Black Friday' spree
- Cheers, angst as US nuclear plant Three Mile Island to reopen
- Scientists seek miracle pill to stop methane cow burps
- Australia ditches plans to fine tech giants for misinformation
- Developing nations slam 'paltry' $300 bn climate deal
- Red Bulls win 'Hudson River derby' to reach conference final
- Neuville wins world title after Tanak crashes at Rally Japan
- Neuville wins world rally title after Tanak crashes in Japan
- Colapinto cleared for Las Vegas GP despite heavy crash
- 'Smiling One' Amorim vows he has ruthless streak Man Utd need
- Marseille down Lens to stay in touch with Ligue 1 leaders, Lyon draw
- New Zealand beat 'proud' Italy in Cane's Test farewell
- Barca collapse in Celta draw without Yamal, Simeone hits milestone
- Thailand's Jeeno equals Yin for lead at LPGA Tour Championship
- New Zealand beat Italy in Cane's Test farewell
- Marseille down Lens to stay in touch with Ligue 1 leaders, Lyon held to draw
- Liga leaders Barca suffer late collapse in Celta draw
- Retegui fires Atalanta top of Serie A ahead of Inter
- Greaves hits maiden Test century as West Indies dominate Bangladesh
- Venezuela opposition calls for mass anti-Maduro protest on Dec. 1
- 'Fragile' Man City in uncharted territory, admits Guardiola
- Erasmus hails Springbok strength in depth after thrashing Wales
- Postecoglou calls for consistent Spurs after Man City rout
- 'We've never lived this situation' admits Guardiola
- Lebanon says more than 55 killed in Israeli strikes
- 'We've never lived this situation' admits Guardiola as Man City lose five in a row
- Under-fire Gatland 'motivated' to continue as Wales coach
- South Africa send Wales crashing to 87-year low in Test rout
- Spurs condemn Man City to fifth straight defeat as Arsenal win
- Defeated Leipzig lose more ground on Bayern, Frankfurt go second
- South Africa put Wales to the sword to wrap up season
UK to beef up its emissions cuts as it bids to be 'climate leader'
The UK will aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 81 percent on 1990 levels by 2035, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced Tuesday, as his government ramps up its ambitions to help curb climate change.
The new target is the latest policy change in this area by Starmer's new Labour government, which took power in July.
It follows criticism that the previous Conservative administration under Rishi Sunak was failing to deliver on the so-called green agenda. Ex-prime minister Boris Johnson had committed in 2021 to curb such emissions by 78 percent over the same period compared to 1990.
Starmer unveiled the revised target at the start of the COP29 climate conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, where he is one of the only G20 leaders to show up.
The summit has been overshadowed by the re-election in the United States of longtime climate change sceptic Donald Trump, as well as new warnings that 2024 is on track to break temperature records.
Starmer said Britain was "building on our reputation as a climate leader" and that it has "a critical role to play".
"I've had a series of meetings here at COP this week because this government recognises that the world stands at a critical juncture in the climate crisis," he said.
"There is no national security, there is no economic security, there is no global security without climate security."
- 'Feasible' -
Sunak faced criticism for a series of moves during his 20-month tenure which were seen as backpedalling on the UK's climate commitments.
They included delaying the shift to electric cars and granting a flurry of controversial new oil and gas licences.
Labour won the July general election vowing to be more ambitious, promising among other things to decarbonise the UK's electricity grid by 2030.
It has since ended an effective Tory ban on new onshore wind projects and ended new oil and gas exploration licences in the North Sea.
The new government has also closed the UK's last coal power plant, prompting Starmer to proclaim Tuesday that Britain was the "first G7 economy to phase out coal power".
The Climate Change Committee (CCC), the UK's top advisory body on the issue, warned shortly after Labour took power that it must act "fast" to put the country back on track to meet its climate goals.
Piers Forster, its interim head, welcomed Tuesday's new "Nationally Determined Contribution", or NDC, target for 2035 as "showing climate leadership".
"Our analysis shows that this is a feasible target that will support jobs and investment," he said, adding it was "informed by the latest science, technological developments, and the UK’s national circumstances".
- 'Ahead of the game' -
Appearing mindful of accusations of being overly interventionist, Starmer insisted his ministers were not going to "start telling people how to live their lives" to meet the goal.
"We're not going to start dictating to people what they do," he added.
However, the UK leader reiterated his view that "inaction and delay" on climate change were not an option.
"Make no mistake, the race is on for the clean energy jobs of the future, the economy of tomorrow," he said.
"And I don't want to be in the middle of the pack. I want to get ahead of the game."
Various environmental groups cautiously welcomed the new 2035 target.
Friends of the Earth's head of campaigns, Rosie Downes, called it "a step in the right direction but (that it) must be seen as a floor to the level of ambition not a ceiling".
"Deeper, faster cuts are needed to help avert the climate collision course we are on," she added.
Meanwhile Forster noted a target was "only as meaningful as the delivery against it".
"We need to see further urgent action to speed up deployment of low-carbon solutions such as electric vehicles, heat pumps and tree planting," he added.
N.Fournier--BTB