Attached below for downloading is a policy paper from Jack Semple at EAMA on the topic of the current debate about net zero and decarbonisation more widely in the UK. There are a number of risks and dilemmas in the whole strategy for dealing with climate change and the debate has been stimulated again by the result of the recent by-election in Uxbridge.
The unexpected victory for the Tories was largely attributed to opposition to the extension of the Ultra-Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) by the Labour Mayor of London (although the original policy and its extension were actually proposed by Boris Johnson as Mayor and prime Minister respectively).
The policy paper has sections on:
- The issues raised by the by-election result
- A shift in policy (or not) on electric vehicles
- Challenges in the High Court on Shell’s climate strategy and the potential new coal mine in Cumbria
- The UK’s reaction (or rather a lack of it) to “green” policies elsewhere in the world, including the Inflation reduction Act in the USA which is offering significant subsidies to firms to develop net-zero friendly manufacturing
- The EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism
If you have feedback on any of the issues in this paper, we would love to hear from you. Please send any comments to Jack Semple at EAMA (email:[email protected]) with a copy to Geoff Noon at MTA (email: [email protected]).