Labour rejects 2030 net zero pledge

Speaking on Radio 4’s Today programme this morning, shadow international trade secretary Barry Gardiner declined to back a party conference motion that called for net zero to be reached by 2030. Though supported by many activists and the Fire Brigades Union, the goal was dismissed by the GMB union, which represents the energy sector, as unfeasible.

He said that the party policy is to ensure that the electricity supply system is 90% powered by renewables by 2030 – being “absolutely in line” with hitting net zero “well before 2050”. He added that this was consistent with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s recommendation to halve emissions by 2030, “in order to have a chance of achieving… the global targets we need”.