The UK government said the long-awaited strategy would bring in £90bn ($124bn) of private funding and create nearly half a million new jobs by 2030.
But the plan is not intended to end the use of fossil fuels in the country, and critics are skeptical of its scope.
Johnson described his plan as a roadmap towards a greener future, while the move would not violate the lifestyle of Britons. The plan focuses on the following markets to replace heating in homes, for example, rather than mandating and eliminating the use of gas-fired boilers, which contribute to climate change.
“For years, going green was associated with the feeling that we had to sacrifice the things we love,” he continued. “But this strategy shows how we can make the back greener, without the hairy shirt.”
He said: “In 2050, we will still be driving cars, flying planes and heating our homes, but our cars will be electric gliding silently around our cities, our planes will be zero emissions, allowing us to fly guilt-free. and our homes will be heated by cheap reliable power drawn from the winds of the North Sea.”
The funding pledges included a combined £970 million for the transition to electric vehicles and related infrastructure; £3.9 billion towards heat and carbon-free buildings; And still £120 million for the construction of small nuclear reactors at the designated site.
But experts have cast doubts on aspects of the plan.
“One thing on which this strategy is weak is the aviation industry. The ambition is very low,” Dan Lunt, professor of climate science at the University of Bristol, told the Science Media Center. The plan intends that 10% of commercial aviation fuel will be sustainable by 2030.
“The Net Zero strategy is an important additional step in the right direction,” said Jim Watson, research director at the UCL Institute of Sustainable Resources.
“But it’s certainly not enough. Funding for low-carbon heating is modest, and little attention is paid to how buildings will be made more efficient.”
Activists were also overwhelmed, with Greenpeace UK criticizing the plan’s “incomplete policies”. And Ed Miliband, the Labor Party’s shadow business secretary, said “there was a gulf between grand promises and catastrophic weakness in delivery.”
But Johnson urged other countries to meet Britain’s commitments.
“Along with the main climate summit COP26, our strategy also sets an example for other countries to go back to green as we move towards global net zero,” he said on Tuesday.
The UK is hoping to draw out a slew of new climate promises from global leaders at the upcoming summit, billed by experts as a generational opportunity for humans to correct course on climate change.
But less than two weeks later, organizers don’t have a clear idea of exactly who is participating and whether a consensus can be reached on key issues, including keeping global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrialization temperatures. Includes strengthening commitments for the use of coal and for wealthier countries to honor a pledge to transfer $100 billion annually of climate funding to the Global South.
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Credit : www.cnn.com
