10:00 am, June 28, 2023
The government’s net zero targets have been thrust into the spotlight once again after experts said the UK was unlikely to meet its goals.
The Climate Change Committee (CCC), which advises ministers, says the now government appears less likely to meet its net zero targets after it became ‘more transparent’ on its plans.
The comments have piled pressure on the Conservatives to act after Labour announced a swathe of measures to ‘turbocharge’ the switch to electric cars.
Shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh yesterday announced a plan to rapidly scale up UK electric vehicle battery production, which could create 80,000 jobs and spark more than £30bn in investment.
The government has pledged to reduce emissions by 68 per cent by 2030 but the CCC said the pace of scale-up action is ‘worryingly slow’.
Four areas in particular have the climate advisers concerned – industry, transport, buildings and fuel supply.
They said the pace of decarbonisation in these sectors over the next seven years has to quadruple what it has been over the previous eight.
It echoes similar thoughts expressed at our Car Dealer Live conference earlier this year when dealers told us they thought the 2030 ban on new petrol and diesel cars could be delayed.
Chris Stark, the CCC’s chief executive, said: ‘There are no secrets for net zero any longer, we know how to do it.
‘Right across the board, we have well-worked-through strategies for how to cut carbon emissions to zero in most areas, and for those sectors that we can’t get to absolute zero, we have enough capacity in the natural world and through more engineered solutions to take carbon out of the atmosphere.
‘Those things take time. They need to put policies in place now that would steer us towards that future. That’s what we’re not seeing at the pace that’s required.’
Stark also said there could also be more incentives for people to change to electric vans and more charge points, with a change in pricing to avoid entrenching further inequality.
He added: ‘We’re reinforcing a general unfairness here if we don’t act on this with policy.
‘Those who are rich enough to have that company car Tesla and the driveway and can charge it overnight have the cheapest car travel now by some margin.
‘Those of the population that don’t have those benefits do not have that opportunity in front of them and face higher costs when they drive their car.’
Labour’s proposals were made at yesterday’s SMMT annual summit, where Haigh told the event: ‘Labour are urging the government to prioritise an agreement with the European Union to ensure manufacturers have time to prepare to meet rules of origin requirements and make Brexit work for them.
‘But let’s be clear: it’s the government’s own failures that have made securing a deal necessary. They have had years and years to ramp up the UK’s battery capacity and have failed.
‘And while the Conservatives stand back, Labour in government will turbocharge the transition to electric vehicles and create the conditions for our proud car industry to not just survive the enormous upheaval of the decade ahead, but thrive.’
A government spokesperson said: ‘The UK is cutting emissions faster than any other G7 country and attracted billions of investment into renewables, which now account for 40 per cent of our electricity.
‘In the last year alone, we have confirmed the first state backing of a nuclear project in over 30 years and invested billions to kick-start new industries like carbon capture and floating offshore wind.’
