Environmentalist groups are taking legal action against the government, claiming that its net-zero strategy is ‘inadequate’…
An ‘Inadequate’ Net-Zero Strategy?
Two green pressure groups are taking legal action against the government, claiming that its net-zero strategy is inadequate. Both Friends of the Earth and ClientEarth have stated that the government’s policies are currently insufficient in addressing the climate crisis; and reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. The government’s strategy, which was published last year, included the phasing out of gas boilers, a transition to electric vehicles and removing carbon from power generation.
According to ClientEarth, the strategy simply isn’t good enough. In a statement it said, “we believe these failings mean the UK government has breached its legal duties under the 2008 Climate Change Act. What’s more, its approach risks the UK having to introduce more drastic measures in future and pushes the burden onto future generations; with disproportionate impacts on young people’s rights to life and to family and private life under the European Convention of Human Rights”.
Sam Hunter Jones, senior ClientEarth lawyer, said “its own baseline forecasts show that the UK’s projected emissions in 2037 will be more than double the levels the Government is legally required to adhere to”. Friends of the Earth has also claimed that, after reviewing the strategy, it found that it was “riddled with holes and omissions”.
The Role of the Car Industry
Back in 2019, it was discovered that the transport sector produced around 27% of the UK’s total carbon emissions. Naturally, then, the future of transport and automotive vehicles is very much central in the debate over climate change. The government has pledged to ban the sale of new ICE vehicles in 2030, followed by hybrids in 2035 and ICE HGVs in 2040; meaning the only new vehicles that’ll be available for purchase will be powered by electricity or hydrogen in the not-to-distant future.
However, the government has also announced a £27 billion road-building initiative. Critics suggest this will simply lead to what’s called ‘induced demand’. This is the observed phenomenon of more roads leading to more traffic and worse congestion. It’s also been suggested that the initiative will simply further entrench car-dependency.
Nevertheless, there are signs that the fleet sector is taking environmental commitments seriously; with more than half of them in the UK now possessing formalised sustainability targets.
More than 60% of British Fleets Have Formalised Sustainability Targets – https://autoservefleet.co.uk/latest-news/more-than-60-of-british-fleets-have-formalised-sustainability-targets/
Sadiq Khan wants to ‘Significantly Reduce’ Car Use in London – https://autoserve.co.uk/motoring-news/sadiq-khan-wants-to-significantly-reduce-car-use-in-london/
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