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Sunak Weakens U.K. Climate Targets as Election Approaches | |
(about 4 hours later) | |
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of Britain on Wednesday weakened key targets in the country’s efforts to slow climate change in a critical policy shift for a nation that has claimed to lead the world in the fight against global warming. | |
In a speech at Downing Street, Mr. Sunak said that although he remained committed to his ambition of reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, he now aimed to meet that goal in what he described as a fairer, better, way. | |
“It cannot be right for Westminster to impose such significant costs on working people,” Mr. Sunak said, referring to the seat of Britain’s government. He added, “If we continue down this path, we risk losing the consent of the British people.” | |
New measures announced on Wednesday for Britain included delaying a ban on the sale of new gas- and diesel-only cars to 2035, rather than 2030, and weakening targets to phase out gas boilers. | |
Mr. Sunak must call a general election by January 2025, and his Conservative Party is trailing the opposition Labour Party in opinion polls at a time of sluggish economic growth and high inflation. But in July, the Conservatives won a surprise victory in a parliamentary election in northwest London when they campaigned against moves by the city’s Labour mayor to expand an air-quality initiative that charges drivers of older, more polluting vehicles. | Mr. Sunak must call a general election by January 2025, and his Conservative Party is trailing the opposition Labour Party in opinion polls at a time of sluggish economic growth and high inflation. But in July, the Conservatives won a surprise victory in a parliamentary election in northwest London when they campaigned against moves by the city’s Labour mayor to expand an air-quality initiative that charges drivers of older, more polluting vehicles. |
Analysts said that the shift in climate policy, and an emphasis on avoiding financial burdens for voters, may be designed to set a dividing line with the Labour Party before the general election. | Analysts said that the shift in climate policy, and an emphasis on avoiding financial burdens for voters, may be designed to set a dividing line with the Labour Party before the general election. |
In his speech, Mr. Sunak also said that there would be no new energy-efficiency rules for landlords or homeowners, or moves to encourage car-pooling, and no new taxes that would discourage air travel. The prime minister might exclude increased recycling requirements. | |
Yet weakening climate-related measures is a considerable risk at a time of growing public awareness of global warming, after Europe experienced record heat and devastating wildfires and floods this summer. | |
The timing was also jarring internationally, coming as the United Nations General Assembly discusses climate protection policy. Earlier this year, the body’s secretary general, António Guterres, warned that the era of global warming had ended and “the era of global boiling has arrived.” Mr. Sunak was notably absent from the meeting, sending his deputy prime minister to New York on his behalf. | |
Mr. Sunak’s Conservative Party is also split over the issue. Mr. Sunak moved his announcement to Wednesday after news of the planned policy shift leaked to the BBC. | |
While several lawmakers on the right of the party praised the new approach ahead of the speech, others were critical, including Boris Johnson, a former prime minister, who said that “business must have certainty about our net-zero commitments” and that “we cannot afford to falter now or in any way lose our ambition for this country.” | |
Chris Skidmore, a Conservative lawmaker, told the BBC that the changes were “potentially the greatest mistake” of Mr. Sunak’s tenure so far, adding that “delivering on net zero provides a benefit, not a cost.” | |
Perhaps worse for Mr. Sunak was an angry response from Ford U.K., whose chairwoman, Lisa Brankin, issued a statement regarding the delayed ban on new gas- and diesel-only cars that said: “Our business needs three things from the U.K. government: ambition, commitment and consistency. A relaxation of 2030 would undermine all three.” | |
Automakers have made significant investments in Britain recently to meet the 2030 deadline. In July, Tata, the Indian conglomerate that owns Jaguar Land Rover, said it would build a battery plant in western England, a 4 billion-pound (roughly $5 billion) project subsidized with government funds. And earlier this month, BMW announced a $750 million investment to build electric Minis in Britain. Its plans call for converting an Oxford assembly plant to produce electric vehicles exclusively by 2030. | |
Those investments were a result of government policies promoting the transition to electric vehicles, Mike Hawes, the chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, an industry group, said in a statement on Wednesday. He said governments must provide a “clear, consistent message” to help car buyers make the switch to electric. | |
“Confusion and uncertainty will only hold them back,” he said. | “Confusion and uncertainty will only hold them back,” he said. |
James Alexander, chief executive of the U.K. Sustainable Investment and Finance Association, warned that Britain risked falling further behind in a global race to secure investment for the green transition to net zero if the government hurts investors’ confidence. | James Alexander, chief executive of the U.K. Sustainable Investment and Finance Association, warned that Britain risked falling further behind in a global race to secure investment for the green transition to net zero if the government hurts investors’ confidence. |
“The U.K. stands in a strong position to lead in some of the core innovation areas of the sustainable economy,” Mr. Alexander said. “But we wouldn’t be able to do that if we didn’t have the investor confidence to drive that forward, and that is what the government is damaging.” | |
Government policy plays a crucial role in helping global businesses decide where to invest and where jobs will be added, he said. The United States has already seen an increase in manufacturing investments, partly from overseas, since the introduction of the Inflation Reduction Act last year. | Government policy plays a crucial role in helping global businesses decide where to invest and where jobs will be added, he said. The United States has already seen an increase in manufacturing investments, partly from overseas, since the introduction of the Inflation Reduction Act last year. |
Just a couple of years ago, Britain was “very clearly a global leader on sustainability and driving the global agenda,” but “the government has backed firmly away from this direction of travel,” Mr. Alexander said. “And investors follow policymakers’ signals.” | |
Supporters of Mr. Sunak’s policy changes argue that the delay put Britain in line with the European Union. | Supporters of Mr. Sunak’s policy changes argue that the delay put Britain in line with the European Union. |
“I have been calling for a long time on the government to take the common-sense decision to delay the planned ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars,” Karl McCartney, a Conservative lawmaker, wrote on the social platform X, formerly known as Twitter. “Just as countries like France and Germany have.” | |
And the home secretary, Suella Braverman, told the BBC on Wednesday, “We are not going to save the planet by bankrupting the British people.” | And the home secretary, Suella Braverman, told the BBC on Wednesday, “We are not going to save the planet by bankrupting the British people.” |
Stanley Reed and Eshe Nelson contributed reporting. | Stanley Reed and Eshe Nelson contributed reporting. |