Green Economy: Stakeholders disagree as UK extends new gasoline, diesel cars by 5 years

*British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announces delays in banning new gas and diesel cars by five more years from initial 2030 to 2035 are based on reported ‘unacceptable costs’ being imposed on ‘ordinary people’ in the European country

Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect

Citing “unacceptable costs” purportedly imposed on ordinary people, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has announced delays in banning new gas and diesel cars by five more years from initial 2030 to 2035.

ConsumerConnect gathered M Sunak stated this in his address during a press conference on the net zero target Wednesday, September 20, 2023, at the Downing Street Briefing Room,  in Central London, UK.

The proposed ban on new new natural-gas home furnaces would be due to start 2035, as the government is also scrapping a requirement for landlords to make properties more energy-efficient.

He stressed that he’s delaying by five years a ban on new gas and diesel cars that had been due to take effect in 2030, watering down climate goals that he said imposed “unacceptable costs” on ordinary people.

Stakeholders kick against UK Government’s decision to delay action

It was gathered the development angered green groups, opposition politicians and large chunks of UK industry, agency report said.

The move to delay the ban on new gas and diesel cars by five years, however, was welcomed by some in the governing Conservative Party who chafe at the expense of ending the country’s reliance on fossil fuels, report stated.

The Primer Minister further said he would keep a promise to reduce the UK’s emissions of climate-warming greenhouse gases to net zero by 2050, but with “a more pragmatic, proportionate, and realistic approach.”

Sunak as well rejected environmental proposals, including new aviation taxes, measures to encourage car-pooling and taxes on meat – none of which has actually been introduced.

To meet net-zero goals, he said, the government will build more windfarms and nuclear reactors, invest in new green technologies and introduce new measures to protect nature.

The UK leader argued the country was “far ahead of every other country in the world” in transforming to a green economy, but said moving too fast risked “losing the consent of the British people.”

“How can it be right that British citizens are now being told to sacrifice even more than others?” he said.

U.K. greenhouse gas emissions have fallen by 46% from 1990 levels, mainly because of the almost complete removal of coal from electricity generation.

The government had pledged to reduce emissions by 68% of 1990 levels by 2030 and to reach net zero by 2050.

Sunak said those commitments remain. But with just seven years to go until the first goalpost, the government’s climate advisers said in June that the pace of action is “worryingly slow.”

Delays make UK look flaky, unreliable, and incapable of leading green energy revolution -LCCI Chief

Reacting to the delays, Richard Burge, Chief Executive of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry has reportedly said, “the government’s decision to suddenly backtrack and delay the ban on petrol and diesel cars makes us look flaky, unreliable, and incapable of leading the green energy revolution.”

Similarly, analyst Tara Clee of investment firm Hargreaves Lansdown said the retreat could undermine Britain’s hard-won reputation for leadership on green technology.

“These changes send a message that nothing is set in stone, and committing in earnest to a movable goalpost could be a major business risk,” Clee said.

Peter Cox, director of the Global Systems Institute at the University of Exeter, said that with the world on course to see temperatures breach 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial level in about a decade, countries “urgently need to act on their net zero commitments.”

“This is a terrible time for the U.K. to back off from our commitments, sending mixed messages to business communities that desperately need clarity to enable investment and innovation in a low-carbon future,” he said.

Britain’s Conservatives have been openly reassessing their climate change promises after a special election result in July that was widely seen as a thumbs-down from voters to a tax on polluting cars, according to report.