UK to speed up target to cut carbon dioxide emissions

Ever-rising energy costs and a blizzard of new regulations await as the government dives further down the climate rabbit hole.
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Radical new climate change commitments are to become law in the UK, Boris Johnson will announce this week.

The prime minister will say carbon emissions will be cut by 78% by 2035 – almost 15 years earlier than previously planned – which would be a world-leading position, says BBC News.

And for the first time the climate law would be extended to cover international aviation and shipping.

But Labour said the government had to match “rhetoric with reality”.

It urged Mr Johnson to treat “the climate emergency as the emergency it is” and show “greater ambition”.

The government has accepted the advice of its independent Climate Change Committee (CCC) to adopt the emissions cut, which is based on 1990 levels.

The move comes as US President Joe Biden prepares to stage a climate summit from Washington.

For households the UK targets will lead to more electric cars, low-carbon heating, renewable electricity and, for many, cutting down on meat and dairy produce.

Homes will need to be much better insulated, and people will be encouraged to drive less and walk and cycle more. Aviation is likely to become more expensive for frequent fliers.

Environmentalists welcomed the government’s move, but warned that ministers had consistently failed to achieve previous CCC-set targets.

And they insisted that Chancellor Rishi Sunak must show clearly how the transition is to be funded.

Full article here.