26 September 2023 – The UK government has recently announced changes to their green policies. Critics have said that the watering down of these policies will prevent the UK from hitting its 2050 climate targets.
In 2019, the then Prime Minister Theresa May committed the UK to reach net-zero by 2050, by making it law. This means, from 2050 onwards, the UK is not allowed to add any additional greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere.
Current Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, has repeatedly said his government is committed to this target. However, in a recent speech he announced changes to the government’s green policies, which many have seen as “watering down” the UK’s commitment.
Critics have warned that the recent change of measures is risking the country’s ability to meet its 2050 climate targets.
Will Changes To Government’s Green Policies Save Us Money?
When the Prime Minister announced the changes to the government’s green policies, he said he wanted to have a pragmatic approach that would not increase costs for the people. He claimed that some of the old policies would cost families between £5,000 and £15,000.
So the changes that Mr Sunak made aim at avoiding high costs to households, but some critics say that the Prime Minister’s arguments don’t stack up.
In the government’s original plan, new petrol and diesel cars were to be banned by 2030. However, the Prime Minister announced that this ban will be pushed back to 2035.
He also clarified that this ban only applies to new cars and that people will still be able to buy second-hand diesel and petrol cars after 2035. The reason for pushing back the deadline is to give people more time to make the transition to electric vehicles with costs still being high, Mr Sunak said.
However, some commentators have pointed out that 80% of people buy second-hand cars, to which the ban does not apply. This means the ban does not make much difference to most people’s finances whether it happens in 6 or 11 years.
The ban on new gas boilers by 2035 has not changed. However, No. 10 has pushed back the planned ban on new oil boilers from 2026 to 2035.
Additionally, the government has also said that about 20% of properties would be exempt from the 2035 ban, because installing low-emission heating systems would not be suitable. However, a government-funded project has said that any type of housing is suitable for heat pumps.
And while the installation of a heat pump or other low-emissions alternative can be costly, the ban will only affect people whose boiler breaks down after 2035 or who want to switch.
The Prime Minister has also scrapped planned energy efficiency regulations for the private rental sector. Under the old plan, properties had to have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of C or above to be rented out.
For new tenancies this would apply from 2025 and for existing ones from 2028. By scrapping this policy, the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit says British households could have higher energy bills worth £8bn over the next ten years.
So rather than saving the people money, the changes to the climate policies could cost people money in the long run.
Risking Failing To Meet 2050 Climate Targets For Political Gain
While the UK has made good progress in reducing its carbon emissions since the 1990s, more recently, this progress has slowed. The independent Cliamte Change Committee (CCC), which was appointed by the government to monitor its progress, said that progress was worryingly slow back in June this year.
There were already doubts over the country’s ability to meet its legal obligation to achieve net-zero by 2050. After the announcement, the CCC has doubled down, saying that meeting the 2050 climate targets will now be even more difficult for the UK.
Today’s announcement is likely to take the UK further away from being able to meet its legal commitments. This, coupled with the recent unsuccessful offshore wind auction, gives us concern.
Piers Forster, Chair of the CCC
The timing of the announcement of the watering down of the green policies is interesting. They have come not long after the surprise victory of the Conservatives in the Uxbridge and South Ruislip by-election.
The Tories have attributed their victory to the issue of the extension of the ultra-low emission (ULEZ) zone. And the Labour Party agreed.
It does seem that Mr Sunak has seen this as a sign that the British people don’t want strong green policies. And with a general election looming, one has to take place by the end of January 2025 at the latest, he decided to water down his commitment to tackle climate change in order to gain votes.
So for short-term political gain he is prepared to risk failing to meet the UK’s 2050 climate target. Given how much climate change has already impacted the people in this country, this seems a very risky strategy.
Scientists have made it very clear: unless we act quickly, the extreme weather events we have seen in recent months will become the norm. Delaying important climate policies is the last thing we now need.
