It is depressing that the Government has decided today to weaken its carbon targets.  Given the existential threat to humanity, this is hardly good news.

The Government would have us believe the following narrative.  The UK has been leading the world in decarbonisation, reducing emissions by 40-50% since 1990.  We are on track for net zero by 2050 – in fact we have “consistently over-delivered” according to Rishi Sunak.  Other countries have made less progress and need to step up.  Given the cost-of-living crisis, it is appropriate for us to reduce expenditure and delay interim targets whilst encouraging the rest of the world to do more.  We are still on track to Net Zero by 2050.

I have spent my career in the energy sector and the truth is different.  Our decarbonisation in the 1990s and 2000s, to the extent that it occurred, happened for two main reasons.  Firstly, gas was very cheap and new CCGT power stations were profitable.  The electricity and gas industry regulators wanted to stimulate competition to the large incumbents and encouraged new entry.  The ‘dash for gas’, replacing coal, happened because it was profitable, not because of any particular commitment to the environment. 

Secondly, a large amount of domestic industrial activity ceased and was in effect outsourced to countries such as China.  In consequence, the emissions associated with our way of life have been increasingly attributed to other countries, not to our own account, using the Government’s production basis.

The IPCC measures the carbon footprints of individual countries on a consumption basis.  By their measure, we in Britain emit on average circa 11 tCO2e per annum per capita.  Government would have us believe the figure is about 6 tCO2e per capita.  Apart from the point above about imported emissions, the Government’s figure excludes aviation and shipping.  Based on IPCC data, we emit more per capita than the Chinese; according to our Government, we emit much less.

In reality, we are lagging behind other countries – the EU, China, even the US – in the promotion and adoption of green technologies.  We are way behind on heat pumps (partly thanks to scare-mongering about their efficacy), on electric vehicles, and on the insulation of our homes and buildings. 

We are not leaders, despite the moral posturing.