2023-09-20 14:58:58
Politicians and business leaders in the north of England, where most of Britain’s investment in renewable energy and green technology is located, on Wednesday attacked Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s plan to dilute his commitments to of “net zero”.
The government has indicated it will delay some net zero policies to ease the financial burden on households, and a senior minister said “bankrupting the British people” would not save the planet .
“It’s really depressing,” said Juergen Maier, former boss of Siemens UK and vice-chairman of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, a business-led think tank for the north of England.
I know, thanks to the many business leaders I speak with every week, that we are making quiet progress in realizing our net zero projects. Unfortunately, this government is no longer with us.”
Later on Wednesday, Mr Sunak will outline what he calls a more “proportionate” approach to achieving net zero emissions by 2050, with the ban on new petrol and diesel cars set to be pushed back by 2030 to 2035.
In Liverpool, which has high hopes for a tidal power plant, the region’s mayor, Steve Rotherham, said Mr Sunak risked damaging the region’s electric car manufacturing industry.
“Relaxing these targets risks undermining all the progress and investment needed to get there,” Mr Rotherham said.
The mayor of North of Tyne, Jamie Driscoll, on England’s northeast coast, said jobs were at stake.
“If we don’t give industry certainty, they won’t invest in green energy production and clean transportation,” he said.
Simon Clarke, a lawmaker from Mr Sunak’s Conservative party whose constituency is in the north-east, said the prime minister urgently needed to dispel rumors that Britain had become less serious regarding fighting climate change.
“Not only is it very damaging for investment flows coming into the UK, but I think it’s a very bad policy space for the government to be in,” Mr Clarke told Sky News.
1695223449
#Leaders #north #England #hit #depressing #reduction #energy #target #Today