According to British Reuters, British Prime Minister Sunak announced on the 20th that the timetable for banning the sale of new gasoline and diesel cars will be postponed from the original commitment of 2030 to 2035. He said this would help reduce the financial burden on families and give British businesses more "preparation time." "If we continue on this path we risk losing the British people," Sunak told a news conference.
He warned that the current net zero emissions plan for 2030 would cost each household £15,000. The UK is the first major economy to enshrine a net zero target in law. Since 1990, the country's emissions have fallen by nearly 50% as coal-fired power plants have closed and offshore wind has emerged. Sunak said this puts the UK ahead of other major economies.
But the UK government's climate adviser said in June that the UK was not doing enough to meet its targets. The British "Daily Mail" quoted a recent poll as saying that one-third of the respondents believe that the government needs to make more efforts to achieve the goal of zero emissions, more respondents are worried about climate change, and only 12% of the respondents believe that the government is too environmentally friendly.
Businesses and environmentalists say decarbonization is an opportunity to stimulate investment, promote economic growth and create high-paying jobs. To achieve this goal, what the government should do is provide a stable and predictable environment to encourage businesses and consumers to make the switch. The Institutional Investors Climate Change Group said the British government's move would hinder investment and urged the country to learn from the European Union and the United States in formulating supportive and stable policies.
The British "Financial Times" commented on the 21st that the Sunak government's revision of a series of climate change goals has caused a backlash from the business community and internal strife in the ruling Conservative Party. Some members of the ruling Conservative Party, represented by former Prime Minister Johnson, criticized the Sunak government's decision, which has attracted condemnation from the automobile and energy industries. It will bring uncertainty to the economy and will instead increase the financial burden on British families.
According to Reuters, the news of delaying several climate goals has caused dissatisfaction among companies that produce electric vehicles, solar panels, electric vehicle charging stations and other products. Ford said that in accordance with the British government's original policy of banning the sale of new gasoline and diesel cars in 2030, the company has invested 430 million pounds (approximately 3.851 billion yuan). The head of Ford's UK operations asked the British government to show its "ambition, commitment and consistency" and relaxing the deadline would harm all three. Chris Norbury, head of the UK branch of energy supplier E.ON, said it was a mistake to steer the debate towards "green vs. cheap" because delaying the move would lead to higher costs in the long term.