Britain’s Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, announced on Wednesday that the country will postpone several important climate goals. This decision has upset businesses and political allies and demonstrates the government’s increasing opposition to environmentally friendly policies.
Sunak said on Wednesday that he will delay the ban on selling new petrol and diesel cars from 2030 to 2035. He will also slow down the process of phasing out gas boilers and will not enforce regulations on homeowner efficiency.
The prime minister said again that they want to increase the extraction of oil and gas from the North Sea in Britain, despite criticism from environmental groups. He also said that they will allow onshore wind again.
This represents a major change in the UK’s stance on climate change, going against the previous agreement. This shift comes soon after the important COP26 climate conference in Glasgow, where the UK aimed to show its leadership in fighting the climate crisis. However, this decision undermines those efforts.
The decision strengthens Sunak’s new and controversial plan to win elections by getting rid of ambitious efforts to reduce emissions and arguing with climate activists. This risky move aims to attract the support of regular Conservative voters.
Sunak is trying to improve his public image before the upcoming election. He wants to show that making these changes is a practical and sensible way to achieve net zero emissions. He is portraying these changes as a necessary and overdue adjustment to our approach to climate policies.
Sunak criticized past Conservative prime ministers by saying that just wishing for something won’t lead to achieving net zero. But that is exactly what the governments before have done, both the Labour and Conservative parties.
“He said that the idea of us reducing our goals is incorrect. He also mentioned that if we keep going in this direction, there is a possibility that the British people might no longer support us. ”
He stated that he will explain his next plans for the environment in the following weeks before COP28.
Boris Johnson, who was the Prime Minister during COP26 and supported the goal of reaching net zero emissions, recently made a rare public criticism of his former chancellor, who has now become his political opponent. Johnson wants businesses to be certain about our commitments to achieving net zero emissions. He is asking Sunak to assure firms that the government is still dedicated to this goal and has a clear plan for the future.
Johnson said that we must not stumble or lose our desire for this country.
Sunak tried to find a compromise in his speech by saying his plans will help Britain reach its goal of net zero emissions by 2050. He also mentioned that the previous plans were too strict and not fair to British workers.
“Sunak said that we have come to an agreement about the future of our country that nobody seems to be satisfied with. ” “Many times, politicians have chosen the quick and simple option due to thinking about the short-term. I have decided that we will change this. ”
This argument is unlikely to convince climate experts who have already warned that the UK is not meeting its targets. The UK government’s climate change adviser, the Climate Change Committee, released a report in June. The report criticized the UK’s plans to achieve net zero emissions and stated that there was not enough sense of urgency to meet the country’s goals.
Britain must make sure that by the year 2050, it has reduced the same amount of pollution that it releases into the atmosphere.
But because we are taking a long time to stop using petrol and diesel vehicles and gas boilers, these things will still be around in Britain until after 2040. This might make it harder for future governments to try to reduce emissions quickly.
On Wednesday, there was a strong reaction in politics. Johnson’s statements caused many members of Sunak’s Conservative party to express their worries about the plans. It seems that the plans were rushed after they were leaked to the media on Tuesday. Opponents from different political parties, business organizations, and climate advocates joined the environmental faction of the party in criticizing the change.
Alok Sharma, a Conservative politician who was in charge of the important COP26 conference, said that if the government changes its position on net zero, it would greatly harm business confidence.
Honestly, I don’t think it will benefit any political party in terms of getting votes if they choose to follow this direction, Sharma said. Chris Skid more, who used to work in the government handling energy matters, said that these actions were the biggest error during his time as the prime minister.
Wednesday’s announcement coincides with the Climate Ambition Summit at the UN General Assembly summit in New York, but Sunak is not attending.
During the UN summit, Al Gore, the former US vice president, told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour that he believed Sunak made a mistake.
I received messages from my friends in the UK, some of whom belong to the Conservative party. They used the term ‘utter disgust’ and some young people there feel betrayed by their generation. I find it very surprising, but once again this is something that the UK needs to deal with,” he kept talking.
The climate campaigner said that the world does not need this from the UK, when looking at the whole world.
Romain Ioualalen, a representative for an organization called Oil Change International, said at a meeting called UN that Sunak’s announcement is an indication of how the UK is not doing well in leading efforts to combat climate change.
People from different countries and organizations in society are very worried about what is happening in the UK. And it shows that the government is not paying attention to science anymore, “Ioualalen said.
Sunak has embraced a stance against environmental initiatives, following his party’s unexpected win in a local election in the far west of London. The election’s main focus was the extension of a low-emissions zone in London, which would require drivers with heavily polluting cars to pay a fee for each day they used their vehicle in that area.
People don’t like the prime minister’s Conservative party. Opinion polls show that they might lose the next election by a lot. The election must happen before January 2025.
In that situation, and with a weak economy that limits the government’s ability to make big changes to its finances, Sunak has focused on various cultural issues and promoted policies that are conservative in nature, in order to attract the support of the party’s right-leaning members.
The climate crisis is becoming a greater concern for British voters, according to polls. The opposition Labour party has criticized Sunak, saying he is no longer positioning Britain as a global leader. Mike Childs, who is in charge of policy at Friends of the Earth, said that it would be morally wrong to go against important climate promises, especially when the world is experiencing severe flooding and wildfires.
British businesses didn’t like Sunak’s plans when he announced them on Wednesday. Lisa Brankin, the head of Ford UK, stated that they require three things from the UK Government: the desire to achieve something, dedication, and reliability. Relaxing the rules in 2030 would weaken all three.
According to Ed Matthew, who works for an independent group called E3G that focuses on climate change, these actions will make our household bills go up and harm our ability to compete with other countries in clean technology.
“He said that while the United States, China, and the European Union are making progress in green growth, Rishi Sunak seems to be giving up. ” “The UK could suffer severe economic consequences. ”