British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Wednesday weakened key targets in the country’s efforts to slow climate change, part of a significant policy shift for Britain, which claims to lead the world in the fight against global warming.
Speaking in Downing Street, Mr Sunak said he remained committed to his ambition to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, but would now achieve that goal in a way he described as fairer and better. He said he is aiming to do so.
“There is no right way for Westminster to impose such huge costs on working people,” Mr Sunak said, referring to the seat of the UK government. He added that he “risks losing the consent of the British people if we continue on this path.”
New measures announced for the UK on Wednesday include delaying the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel-only cars to 2035 rather than 2030, and weakening targets to phase out gas boilers. It is included.
Mr Sunak needs to call a general election by January 2025, and his Conservative Party is trailing the opposition Labor Party in opinion polls amid slowing economic growth and high inflation. But in July’s parliamentary elections in north-west London, the Conservatives faced pressure from the city’s Labor mayor to expand air pollution control efforts that charge drivers of older, more polluting cars. They campaigned against the move and won an unexpected victory.
Analysts say his focus on changing climate policy and avoiding financial burdens on voters could be aimed at creating a dividing line with Labor ahead of the general election.
In his speech, Sunak also said there would be no new energy efficiency regulations for landlords and homeowners, no moves to encourage carpooling, and no new taxes to discourage air travel. The Prime Minister could rule out tougher recycling requirements.
But at a time when Europe has experienced record heat this summer, devastating wildfires and floods, and public awareness of global warming is rising, weakening climate-related measures is a considerable risk.
The timing, as the United Nations General Assembly is debating climate protection policy, was shocking internationally. Earlier this year, the agency’s Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that the era of global warming is over and that “the era of global boiling has arrived.” Mr Sunak was absent from the meeting and sent his deputy prime minister to New York in his place.
Sunak’s Conservative Party is also divided on the issue. Mr Sunak brought forward the announcement to Wednesday after news of the planned policy change was leaked to the BBC.
Ahead of the speech, several MPs from the party’s right-wing praised the new approach, but others were critical, including former prime minister Boris Johnson, who said: “Businesses must have confidence in the net zero promise.” “We don’t have that luxury,” he said. If we don’t give up now, we will somehow lose our ambitions for this country. ”
Conservative MP Chris Skidmore told the BBC that the changes were “potentially the biggest failure” of Mr Sunak’s tenure so far, adding: “Achieving net zero is not about cost. It will bring benefits,” he added.
Perhaps the worst thing for Mr Sunak was the angry response from Ford UK, whose chairman, Lisa Brankin, said the next issued a statement as follows. Ambition, commitment and consistency. Easing in 2030 will undermine all three. ”
Car manufacturers have recently invested heavily in the UK to meet the 2030 deadline. Tata, the Indian conglomerate that owns Jaguar Land Rover, announced in July that it would build a battery factory in western England in a 4 billion pound ($5 billion) project backed by government funding. And earlier this month, BMW announced a $750 million investment to build the electric Mini in the UK. The company’s plans called for converting its Oxford assembly plant to exclusively produce electric vehicles by 2030.
Mike Hawes, chief executive of the Automotive Manufacturing Trade Association, an industry group, said in a statement on Wednesday that these investments were the result of government policy to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles. He said the government needed to provide a “clear and consistent message” to help car buyers switch to electric vehicles.
“Chaos and uncertainty will only hinder them,” he says.
James Alexander, chief executive of the UK Sustainable Investment Finance Association, said if the government undermined investor confidence, the UK would be in a global race to secure investment for the green transition to net zero. He warned that there was a risk of falling further behind.
Mr Alexander said: “The UK is in a strong position to take the lead in some of the innovation areas that are at the heart of a sustainable economy.” “But you can’t do that without the trust of investors to drive it. That’s what the government is harming.”
He said government policy plays a key role in determining where global companies invest and add jobs. Since the introduction of the Inflation Control Act last year, the United States has already seen an increase in manufacturing investment from some foreign countries.
Just a few years ago, the UK was “clearly a world leader in sustainability and driving the global agenda”, but “the government has taken a decisive step back in this direction”, Alexander said. “And investors follow the signals from policymakers.”
Supporters of Mr Sunak’s policy changes argue that the delay brings the UK into line with the European Union.
Conservative MP Carl McCartney said: “I have long called on the government to take the common sense decision to delay plans to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars,” previously speaking on social platform X. mentioned in. It is known as Twitter. “Just like countries like France and Germany did.”
And Home Secretary Suela Braverman told the BBC on Wednesday: “We’re not going to save the planet by bankrupting the British people.”
stanley reed and Eshe Nelson Contributed to the report.