He may have only had three brief minutes to speak at COP29, but new British Prime Minister, Sir Kier Starmer, showed that he has a substantially different view on climate change than a certain other newly elected world leader across the pond.

As experts in carbon reduction and renewable energy sources, the team here at Think Hire were interested to hear what the PM had to say, and what commitments he and his new government made on emissions.

What did Sir Kier have to say?

Starmer’s speech, which you can read in full here, set out to position the United Kingdom as a world leader on climate change. He pointed out that the UK is the first G7 economy to completely phase out coal power, following the closure of the power station at Ratcliffe-on-Soar, which we reported on in October.

He also explained how this switch, from coal to renewable energy sources, has already helped the UK to halve its annual carbon emissions since 1990. The PM went on to outline the achievements of the first 100days of Labour government, including scrapping the ban on onshore wind and the launching Great British Energy. Unlike Trump, and his ‘drill, baby, drill’ approach, Starmer restated his commitment to a ban on new oil and gas licences.

An 'ambitious' new target

The main headline from the short speech, however, was an increase in the UK’s target for ‘Nationally Determined Contributions’ to cutting greenhouse gas emissions. Starmer announced an increased target up from 68% reduction by 2030 to an 81% reduction.

“We urge all parties to come forward with ambitious targets of their own,” he said, promising to “work in partnership to support other countries to develop their own commitments”. This is a crucial element of the plan, as one commentator explained, since the UK “…will not be able to create a microclimate over Britain by simply announcing (its own) emissions reduction.”

Starmer also agreed to honour the £11.6bn of climate finance promised by the previous government, and also announced the launch of a new finance vehicle aimed at raising a further $75bn for climate action.

More to come from COP

We’ll have a more detailed round up of what was achieved – or at least what was promised – at COP29 in Azerbaijan very soon. However, you don’t have to wait until 2050, or even 2030, to make your own contribution to the fight against climate change. What’s more, you don’t need the kind of vast investments that are being discussed in Baku.

You can switch to renewable energy sources with Think Hire right now, and not only cut your carbon emissions to almost zero, but significantly cut your operating costs too. Many of our potential customers assume that going green will take them into the red, but far from it. We have numerous case studies that show savings of 60% or more, even after hire costs have been taken into account.

With innovative solar powered generators like the Solartainer Versatile and the Solar Skyframe, and highly efficient hybrid battery generators like the X3 and X45, you can tap into renewable energy sources easily and effectively, cutting carbon emissions and cutting diesel costs at the same time.

Think Hire are delighted to see the UK taking such positive and ambitious steps in the fight against climate change on the international stage. If you’d like to find out more about the positive and ambitious steps you can take at a national or even local level, get in touch with our team today.

“Climate action is at the heart of this government’s mission for the protection and prosperity of Britain and the world,” said Starmer. Here at Think Hire, it’s at the heart of our mission to protect your prosperity.