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Sunak scraps net zero commitments as UN continues to push on climate [1]

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Date: 2023-09

When it comes to matters of political timing, Rishi Sunak has had a bit of a problem this week.

It started with a leak to the BBC that he was planning to reverse government policy on a range of climate change commitments, reportedly a matter of intense private discussions at No. 10 in recent weeks.

At a hastily convened midweek press conference, Sunak stoutly denied the change of policy had anything to do with a by-election victory that was attributed by many to his party’s opposition of a clean air zone. Denying the connection was cue for hollow laughter, with the need to rescue his party in next year’s general election obviously the real motive.

The timing of the announcement was unfortunate in three respects. One was that it coincided with days of very heavy rain affecting much of south-west England and parts of south Wales, with flash flooding hitting several parliamentary constituencies the Tories need to retain or win back.

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Secondly, it coincided with King Charles’s state visit to France, covered in depth by the BBC and likely to be watched by the older viewing public, potential Tory voters in particular. Charles’s personal concern over climate breakdown has been known for many years, has proved to be a prescient stance and was a key part of his much-lauded address to both houses of the French Senate.

The third problem was that though support was strong in right-wing tabloids like the Daily Mail, Daily Express and The Sun, it has gone down like a lead balloon in industry and was roundly condemned by Ford, other vehicle manufacturers and the expanding battery industry. These companies have committed many hundreds of millions of pounds to investing heavily in electric vehicles because of the 2030 ban on internal combustion engine (ICE) power, but now face an extension to 2035 before the ban is imposed.

Sunak’s U-turn runs a (non-ICE) coach and horses through all the planning and if it goes ahead will give companies no end of headaches. It is hardly surprising that even the supremely cautious Keir Starmer and his Labour Party have put their heads above the parapet on this one occasion, promising to reverse the change.

As to Sunak’s decision itself, a rapid assessment from Carbon Brief shows that interim targets for carbon reductions are moving out of reach, as is the chance of abiding by the Paris pledge to cut emissions to 68% below 1990 levels by 2030. As Carbon Brief reported, while the pledge is not legally binding, “it would be politically embarrassing for the country to fall short, as the recent host of the COP27 climate summit and a supposed leader on international action”.

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[1] Url: https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/sunak-uk-net-zero-climate-antonio-guterres-un-general-assembly/

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