Welcome to Zero. I am Akshadrati. This week, the UK's Big Bet. I read a lot of headlines about climate change and I know you do too.

Together, they paint a dire picture because climate impacts are growing and world leaders are stepping back from bold action needed to tackle climate change.

It's something that we talk about on this show with some frequency.

But last week, I saw something that bucked the trend. The UK submitted new climate goals

for 2035 to the United Nations, and they are among the boldest and most ambitious in the world.

The UK has long been a climate leader. It created the first climate change law for a large

economy all the way back in 2008. It built an independent watchdog in the climate change committee.

Its 2035 goal will see an 81% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions relative to 1990 levels.

And now it has a plan to reach clean power by 2030.

So how is it that the UK is making big bets when everybody else is stepping back?

The best person to help us understand that is Chris Stark.

He used to run the Climate Change Committee and now runs the newly created

Mission Control Task Force for Clean Power. He is the Labor government's man to make sure that

the UK reaches 95% clean power by 2030. It's a tough goal and even tougher when you're trying

to do it while reducing energy prices.

But even as Chris focuses on this ambitious goal, Labor's leaders are sending mixed signals.

They want to open new runways and expand airports across the UK, including at Heathrow.

They might even sign off on new oil fields in the North Sea.

All of that is going to add complication to Chris's job.

So we had a lot to talk about.

I spoke with Chris at the British Library in London

at the Energy Transition Acceleration Forum,

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