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Time to reconsider our approach to net zero

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Rishi Sunak’s first Cabinet reshuffle saw the creation of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. Both objectives are admirable; the consequences of energy insecurity have been made painfully clear by Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, and we have a moral responsibility to preserve the environment for future generations of Britons to enjoy. But too often, these objectives appear to be in conflict. Energy security is not just a matter of cutting dependence on foreign suppliers, but ensuring th

Rishi Sunak’s first Cabinet reshuffle saw the creation of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. Both objectives are admirable; the consequences of energy insecurity have been made painfully clear by Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, and we have a moral responsibility to preserve the environment for future generations of Britons to enjoy. But too often, these objectives appear to be in conflict. Energy security is not just a matter of cutting dependence on foreign suppliers, but ensuring that our new sources are reliable and affordable. Yet our approach to net zero seems to demand that the public pays higher prices for less reliable fuels. This is not a sustainable state of affairs.

Yet the Government will need to go much further if it wishes to fully resolve the tension between its objectives of secure and affordable energy supplies. We should of course aim to cut carbon, but it is a bizarrely punishing approach to insist on the pursuit of an artificially imposed 2050 deadline at great expense even while Beijing continues to approve dozens of new coal power plants. This is particularly true when many businesses and consumers are independently moving towards greener practices simply through market forces, as the costs of eco-friendly technologies fall and the profit motive continues to drive innovation.

Centrally imposed “solutions” that drive up bills and lack the flexibility to accommodate new technological developments often fail to work in other policy areas without great cost; why would they succeed now?

The British people are already facing great financial hardship, and the parlous state of the economy means this is likely to continue in the months leading up to the next election. Reconsidering the ruinous approach to net zero is a chance for the Government to show that it is taking this seriously.


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