18 October 2023 – After the Prime Minister announced a U-turn on the government’s green policies, many environmentalists were concerned. Now the government’s own climate advisers have revealed the impact of the delayed climate targets on the British people and the environment.
When Rishi Sunak announced changes to the UK’s climate targets last month, he said he wanted a more pragmatic approach. His aim was to save the British people money by delaying some of the green policies his government has introduced.
However, many environmental activists and charities questioned the PM’s reasoning and warned it could mean that UK might not meet its 2050 climate targets. There was also scepticism about Mr Sunak’s claim the changes would save people money.
Now, the government’s adviser, the Climate Change Committee (CCC), has analysed the government’s figures and assessed what impact the delayed climate targets will have on people and the planet.
Delayed Climate Targets Will Cost British People More
As part of the climate policies announcement last month, the Prime Minister delayed the ban on new diesel and petrol cars. It was originally planned to come into effect in 2030, but will now start in 2035.
While the ban on new gas boilers has not been delayed, it is still planned for 2035, new oil boilers will now also be banned from 2035, pushed back from 2026. In addition, some properties will be exempt from the ban, about 20%.
Mr Sunak also announced that the planned energy efficiency regulations for private landlords, that were due to come into effect in 2025, will be scrapped. Under the regulations, landlords had to improve the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of their properties to C or above.
Any private rental properties with an EPC rating below C could not be let out to new tenants. For existing tenants, the rules would apply from 2028. However, plans for both have now been scrapped.
The Prime Minister justified the changes by the costs involved for the public. He argued that the measures could cost the British people between £5,000 and £15,000 per household. By delaying some and scrapping others, he claimed, people have more time to adjust.
However, the CCC found that by scrapping the energy efficiency regulations for landlords, private renters will see increased energy bills, due to living in less efficient homes.
Delaying the ban on new petrol and diesel cars will also, so the CCC, increase the cost for drivers who, as a result, move to an electric vehicle later rather than sooner. This is because electric cars are cheaper to run, so by switching earlier more money can be saved.
The costs involved in moving to low-emission heating systems, like heat pumps, can be high, but delaying the targets for the ban of new oil and gas boilers isn’t the solution.
If the government knew for years that some people would be negatively impacted then they could have made provision to protect those people rather than roll-back on targets.
Professor Rob Gross, Director of the UK Energy Research Centre
So the government’s own climate advisers say that rather than saving the people money, the recently announced changes could cost some people more money. But what about the impact on the planet?
Net-Zero By 2050 Even Harder To Meet Now
When Mr Sunak announced the changes to the climate policies, he also said that he is still committed to meeting the 2050 net-zero target and is indeed confident that the UK will do so.
However, the CCC has already warned back in June 2023, before the changes were announced, that the UK is making very slow progress and risks not meeting the 2050 targets.
After analysing the policy changes, the climate committee said that it is now even more difficult to meet the targets. There is no evidence that the changes are consistent with the targets.
Recent policy announcements were not accompanied by estimates of their effect on future emissions, nor evidence to back the Government’s assurance that the UK’s targets will still be met.
Professor Piers Forster, Chair of the CCC
The exemption of 20% of property from ever having to switch away from gas or oil boilers is especially harmful, so the committee. Because it means that these will continue to produce carbon emissions after 2050, when the UK is legally obliged to be net-zero.
The emissions of these properties will have to be offset in other areas to achieve net-zero, which will be very difficult.
Another concern the CCC has voiced is that the changes would undermine consumer confidence in low-emission alternatives, such as electric cars or heat pumps.
While the government has increased the grant to install heat pumps in homes, the Climate Change Committee has noted that the overall budget has not changed. This means that fewer people will now be able to benefit from the grant.
So not only will the changes cost the British people more money, they also increase the risk of the UK not meeting its 2050 climate targets.
Our Opinion
It says a lot when their own advisers contradict what the government says. Rishi Sunak claimed that the green policies would cost the British people a lot of money, so he made changes to shield us from these costs.
But we now find out that the delayed climate targets and other changes will cost renters and drivers more money. And the Prime Minister was very quick to assure us that the UK will achieve net-zero by 2050, despite the delays and changes.
But he failed to give any evidence for this, according to the CCC. As a result, it now looks like achieving the 2050 target will be even more difficult than before.
It looks like Rishi Sunak is in election mode, which means: he will tell people what he thinks they want to hear so that when we get to a general election, he gets their votes.
He talks about how these measures could cost households thousands of pounds. Did he only just realise this? Was that not brought up when the policy was first discussed? Surely something like this should have been taken into account at the start.
And what good are delayed climate targets? These costs he wants to save us from won’t go away. He just pushed them back, rather than putting support in place that will help people make the improvements.
If a family can’t afford to install a heat pump for £10,000 now, what are the changes they can do so in 5 years? So an appropriate grant scheme has to be implemented that will ensure everyone can afford to move to a low-emissions heating system.
He also talked about putting the “long-term interests of our country” first. Well, our country is on our planet, so what is bad for our planet is bad for our country.
Scientists have made it very clear that unless we act now, we won’t be able to avert a climate catastrophe. And what is our Prime Minister worried about? Getting votes at the next general election, even if that means inflicting more damage to our environment.
