British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has corrected his course in climate policy. In the process, his party also wants to roll back important milestones on the road to climate neutrality.
“It is not fair, nor is it necessary, to offload the cost of achieving our climate goals onto the shoulders of hardworking families,” Prime Minister Rishi Sunak reasoned, according to the Handelsblatt his change of course on Wednesday afternoon. The prime minister announced that the ban on internal combustion engines, previously planned for 2030, would be postponed until 2035. The planned ban on the installation of new gas and oil boilers is also to be changed. No one will be forced to replace them, Sunak promised. Instead, there will be more government assistance for citizens. In addition, the planned requirements for greater energy efficiency in apartments and houses will be dropped altogether, and Sunak also wants to dispense with new environmental taxes.
The UK is nevertheless to become climate-neutral by 2050
“For too many years, politicians in governments of all stripes have not been honest about costs and trade-offs,” the prime minister said, referring to climate action. He said climate change targets should still be met, but in a “more proportionate, fair and realistic way.” In addition, Sunak said he wants to stick to legal targets for the country to become climate neutral by 2050. He indicated that the U.K. would meet its international climate commitments.
Image: Number 10, The Prime Minister speaks to the President of Ukraine (52816720099), CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (image resized).
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