81% Reduction in GHG Emissions by 2035 (UK NDC)
Commitment: Reduce UK greenhouse gas emissions by at least 81% compared to 1990 levels by 2035. This is the UK’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) under the Paris Agreement.
Owner: DESNZ / HMT (cross-government)
Target date: 2035
Legal/international basis: UNFCCC Paris Agreement; submitted as UK NDC.
Metric: UK total GHG emissions (territorial basis) as % reduction vs. 1990 baseline.
Status: active
Context
The 81% NDC was submitted in 2025 and is broadly aligned with the Climate Change Committee’s recommended 6th Carbon Budget pathway. It is more ambitious than the previous UK NDC (68% by 2030 submitted in 2020).
The 2035 NDC functions as the key international accountability milestone between the 95% clean electricity target (2030) and net zero (2050).
Relationship to other targets
| Target | Coverage | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 95% clean electricity | Electricity sector only | 2030 |
| 81% GHG reduction | All sectors (economy-wide) | 2035 |
| Net zero | All sectors (economy-wide) | 2050 |
The 81% economy-wide target by 2035 requires significant progress in decarbonising:
- Transport: Accelerating EV transition; public transport investment
- Buildings: Heat pump deployment; building fabric insulation
- Industry: CCUS deployment; green hydrogen in heavy industry
- Agriculture: Methane and nitrous oxide reduction (contested — no agriculture-specific statutory target)
- Land use: Woodland and peatland restoration contributing negative emissions
Key tension
The CCC has assessed that current policies are not on track to meet the 6th Carbon Budget (which the 81% NDC is aligned with). This creates a gap between international commitment and domestic delivery trajectory.