Say, What Would A Zero-Carbon Country Look Like Or Something

CNN takes a stab at it, and, doesn’t do a really good job at saying that this would be super awesome. It’s doubtful that the network is trying to say it would not be a great place, what with all their Cult of Climastrology leanings (except in the Travel Section, where they advocate taking all sorts of fossil fueled travel. And their ads, from companies that require the use of fossil fuels)

What would life be like in a zero-carbon country?

Drastic restrictions on almost every aspect of people’s lives, from the cars they drive, the way they heat their homes, to the fridges they buy — even the food stored in them. That is the reality of what awaits us in 2050 if a UK government pledge to cut greenhouse emissions to “net zero” is to be met.

If it can do it, the country will become the world’s first major economy to stop contributing to climate change. (snip)

Petrol and diesel vehicles will need to be phased out and replaced by electric or hydrogen powered ones by 2035. Consumption of beef, lamb and dairy must be cut by 20% by 2050. No houses built after 2025 will be connected to the gas grid. The owners of older buildings will need to switch their heating system to a low carbon one by around 2035. (snip)

“The methane created by livestock is a much more powerful greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide … so we will have to reduce meat consumption, but it’s unlikely that we will reduce livestock to zero,” said Bob Ward, policy and communications director at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, which is part of London School of Economics.

Aviation and shipping are other sectors where low-carbon alternatives don’t yet exist. “They are quite high carbon sectors, they are rapidly growing, and the decarbonization pathway is more uncertain for them,” said Barny Evans, renewable energy expert at WSP, a sustainability consultancy.

So, it sure seems like The Government is going to be telling us how to live our lives, what we can eat, which appliances we can purchase, whether we can fly, jacking up the cost of living and the cost of homes, while making travel utterly expensive because most cannot afford those electric vehicles (what are they powered with?).

Reaching net zero will cost about £1 trillion ($1.3 trillion), a price that for some, is simply too much. One vocal critic is Danish political scientist Bjorn Lomborg, who called the net zero policy “pointless” because the UK is only responsible for around 1% of global emissions. He argues the cost of the plan will far exceed its benefits, and advocates for more investment into research and development instead.

Over time, it doesn’t seem like a lot. But

The investments required to get to net zero will be around 1% to 2% of GDP each year, according to the Climate Change Committee. But dealing with the consequences of unchecked warming — rising sea levels, for example — would be way more expensive, it said.

That means taxes in the U.K. will skyrocket while earnings for citizens will go down as economic commerce drops.