Green Blob in Meltdown as Net Zero Targets Relaxed

A small step in the right direction, but only repealing the Climate Change Act can save us from penury

Rishi Sunak has made the news today as his plans to water down some of the most draconian Net Zero measures were leaked to the press. In summary, he is expected to:

• Push back the ban on the sale of new petrol cars from 2030 to 2035.

• Extend the deadline for the ban on oil boilers 2026 to 2035, with a requirement for 80% to be phased out by that date.

• Delay the ban on the installation of new gas boilers to 2035 yet attempt to phase out 80% of them by then.

• Scrap plans to fine landlords for not upgrading insulation in their properties.

On the face of it, these are quite small measures, although it is not clear how the plan to phase out 80% of oil and gas boilers by 2035 will actually work. Will some people be forced to replace their boilers against their will? Nevertheless, the green blob was in meltdown after the plans were leaked last night.

Green Blob Meltdown

The reaction from think tanks and lobby groups has been both predictable and spectacular. The following images taken from X give you a flavour of the scale of the meltdown. Ed Matthew of E3G climate think tank thinks delaying Net Zero will cost us more, despite the rising cost of renewables and the high costs of heat pumps and electric vehicles.

Daisy Powell-Chandler of Public First, former reputation coach now passing herself off as an energy expert is understandably confused.

Shaun Spiers of Green Alliance UK is furious.

James Murray of Business Green is very, very angry.

Former BBC News Science editor, David Shukman is outraged and appears to have succumbed to the “planetary crisis” conspiracy theory.

And Emma Pinchbeck of EnergyUK is demanding stability of Government policy, even if it means the rest of society goes down the tubes.

Even Hilary McGrady, Director General of well-known energy experts the National Trust, is deeply depressed.

And Jim Pickard, political editor of the Financial Times seems to think imposing massive charges on families by making cars more expensive, forcing the installation of heat pumps and rolling out more expensive, intermittent energy will be good for children.

Blue-on-Blue Net Zero Attacks

In a sign of danger for Rishi Sunak, there were some veiled blue-on-blue attacks from his own MPs such as Chris Skidmore. Skidmore is the one who shepherded the Net Zero legislation through Parliament and has a paid position at a carbon capture company.

Potential Legal Challenge

Adam Bell, former civil servant in BEIS (Energy Department), now self-styled “energy geek” and head of policy at Stonehaven issued an ominous warning of a Judicial Review.

This is because the carbon budgets issued by the Climate Change Committee are legally binding. The carbon budgets are caps on the amount of greenhouse gases emitted in the UK over a five-year period. Budgets must be set at least 12 years in advance. If the Government implements policies that contravene these budgets, they can be challenged in the courts.

Implications of Net Zero Climbdown

My own view is that Sunak’s announcement is a welcome, but small step in the right direction. However, simply delaying targets by a few years is simply not enough. There is no obvious reason why it will suddenly become easier or less expensive to implement these measures a few years later than planned.

Moreover, Sunak presides over a Government that just sent the Energy Bill to the Lords that contains provisions to criminalise non-conformance with energy performance regulations, for centralised control of electricity supply to domestic appliances and gives powers of forced entry to inspect smart appliances and seizure of non-compliant devices.

In the grand scheme of things, Sunak’s proposals to water down commitments are relatively minor. But, as we have seen, the carbon budgets are enshrined in law, so even these minor changes will probably attract a legal challenge. It seems absurd to me that the Government has created a civil law that attempts to repeal the Laws of Physics. The only way to establish a sensible energy policy is to repeal the Climate Change Act. This climbdown is simply window-dressing but is also perhaps the first step in achieving that objective. We need to keep up the pressure.

Someone has created a petition to hold a referendum on Net Zero. At the time of writing, it needs just 3,000 more signatures to force a Government response. Please sign it.

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