Rishi Sunak's Government: Reversing Pledges, Scrapping Policies, and Abandoning Promises on Climate Change
The Guardian revealed yesterday that the “UK plans to drop flagship £11.6 billion climate pledge”
I'm not surprised at all. As a candidate for prime minister, Sunak said he is committed to keeping the government's legally binding goal of reaching net zero emissions by 2050, but his actions tell a different story.
A short reminder
As a member of Parliament, Sunak has usually voted against measures to lower emissions.
As Chancellor of the Exchequer, Sunak made cuts that led to the abandonment of a $1.7 billion scheme to insulate UK homes. The UK has among the least energy-efficient housing stock in Europe, which means customers are required to use more energy than households in other countries.
On the eve of the COP26 U.N. climate summit hosted by the UK in 2021, Sunak announced a plan to halve taxes on domestic flights, encouraging air travel and boosting emissions.
He cut the UK's foreign aid budget from 0.7% to 0.5% of national revenue, slashing millions from the nation's funds aimed at helping poorer countries adapt to climate change. African countries are spending billions to cope with the climate crisis, risking deeper poverty, as they divert billions from healthcare and other public services.
As Prime Minister, Sunak committed to driving up North Sea gas production and scrapping plans to relax a ban on onshore wind farms.
Sunak has scrapped the government's net zero pledge to pass a law banning coal power generation in Britain from October 2024. The government spokesman said that since "all UK coal generators have already committed to phasing out their coal operations, it is not necessary to legislate to deliver on this commitment.”
When Sunak set out his top five priorities for office (Halving inflation, Growing the economy, Reducing debt, Cutting National Health Service (NHS) waiting lists, and Stopping small boats), climate action was notable by its absence. Overall, under Sunak's government, there is a total lack of urgency and progress in lowering carbon emissions in the UK. Even, the government's official climate adviser, the Climate Change Committee (CCC), has accused his government of backtracking on commitments to phase out fossil fuels.