The UK government’s legally binding target is for the UK to reach net zero emissions by 2050, and it’s not an arbitrary date – it’s based on our commitment to the Paris Agreement, and advice from the Committee on Climate Change. Under the Paris Agreement, governments agreed to keep global warming well below 2 degrees Celsius, and to make efforts to keep it below 1.5ºC. To meet this 1.5ºC target, the latest scientific evidence shows that global emissions must reach net zero by the middle of this century. To avoid the worst climate impacts, it will also need to drop by half by 2030.