​​​​​​​Net Zero Strategy - reaction

Commenting on the government’s Net Zero Strategy published today, Friends of the Earth's head of policy Mike Childs, said:   

 “Riddled with holes and omissions, this strategy falls a long way short of the bold action plan needed to decarbonise the UK.  

 “The rapid electrification of new vehicles is certainly welcome, but many of the carbon savings this could bring will be wiped out by the government’s £27 billion road programme.  

 “The development of England’s huge onshore wind potential continues to be hampered by unfair planning rules, while the slow roll-out of heat pumps, and lack of support for energy efficiency measures, will leave millions of homes hooked on climate-wrecking gas.  

 "The failure to just say no to further fossil fuel extraction seriously weakens UK credibility ahead of the crucial international climate negotiations. 

 “With the lack of serious new investment, it looks like the Prime Minister has lost his battle with the Treasury to put the climate crisis centre-stage in next week’s comprehensive spending review."    

 Friends of the Earth criticisms of the Net Zero Strategy also include:   

• The failure to accept that the growing demand for aviation needs to be constrained, instead relying on unproven and speculative ‘sustainable aviation fuels’. 
• No mention of helping the shift to healthier, low meat, low carbon diets.  
• Too much reliance is put on wishful thinking for technology options such as CCS, heat pumps as cheap as boilers, and negative emissions.   

  ENDS