UK sets out plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions
Roger Harrabin
London: Another big push towards electric vehicles is being made in the UK government’s latest strategy to make the great shift to a virtually zero-carbon economy.
Ministers are investing £620m in grants for electric vehicles and street charging points.
Car makers will be mandated to sell a proportion of clean vehicles each year.
An extra £350m is promised to help the automotive supply chain move to electric.
The new plan set out by the government is supposed to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions to reach a target of net zero by 2050.
The announcement comes 12 days before global leaders meet in Glasgow to negotiate how to curb climate change.
Achieving net zero means the UK will no longer be adding to the total amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
Without action on climate change, the world faces a hotter planet, rising sea levels and extreme weather that threaten many forms of life.
The UK has already made progress in cutting emissions compared to the levels released in 1990. In 2019, the country released 40% less than in 1990.
On Tuesday the government also announced a strategy to address emissions from the UK’s 30 million buildings.
Homeowners will be able to apply for grants of up to £5,000 to install low-carbon heat pumps to replace gas boilers.
The Labour party’s Ed Miliband responded to the strategy, saying the “plans falls short on delivery” adding “we’ve waited months for a heat and buildings strategy, it’s a massive let-down”.
Prof Lord Nicholas Stern, Chair of LSE’s Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, said the plan will require “strong investment and innovation” and would generate a “new and attractive form of growth”. But he warned that low-income households will need support.
And Prof Dan Lunt, Professor of Climate Science at University of Bristol, called the strategy’s approach to flying weak and unambitious.
Environmental group Friends of the Earth criticised the strategy as “riddled with holes and omissions”.
“The rapid electrification of new vehicles is certainly welcome, but many of the carbon savings this could bring will be wiped out by the government’s £27 billion road programme,” it said.
It also offers a further £120m to develop SMRs – small “modular” nuclear reactors that can be factory-built. These might go to the Wylfa site in Wales, although that’s not certain.
These mini-reactors are being promoted heavily by Rolls Royce, although critics say the technology won’t be mature in time to meet the UK’s carbon targets.
On large nuclear: there’s been much speculation about a go-ahead for Sizewell C in Suffolk. But funding has been a key sticking point and it seems an announcement has been put off until the Chancellor’s spending review next week.
There will be an extra £625m for tree-planting and peat restoration, too – even though the current schedule is running way behind its targets.
The government is committing £140m to two clusters promoting carbon capture and storage to produce hydrogen. The hubs will be the North-West of England and North Wales, with Teesside and Humberside – the government has previously promised £1bn to support CCS.
