Latest news with #PiersForster
Scottish Sun
21-05-2025
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Net Zero push to cost Scots taxpayers £750million a year
The annual bill was predicted by the independent Climate Change Committee Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) NATS chief's push to Net Zero will cost a 'jaw-dropping' £750million per year to deliver, experts advising the Scottish Government have said. And over the next 20 years that could see the economic cost of Net Zero hit a whopping £15billion. Sign up for the Politics newsletter Sign up 2 SNP chiefs are pushing for more renewable energy to help Scotland meet Net Zero targets 2 Scottish Tory net zero spokesman Douglas Lumsden urged costs should not fall on households Scottish Tory net zero spokesman Douglas Lumsden said the costs should not land on families and businesses. He said: 'This report confirms the jaw-dropping costs that will have to be incurred if the SNP are to have any hope of hitting their net zero ambitions. 'What it doesn't make clear is who is going to foot the bill for the £750 million worth of investment per year that the committee say will be required. 'That will alarm hard-pressed families and businesses who will fear being hammered with higher bills if they are forced to carry the burden themselves.' Find out what's really going on Register now for our free weekly politics newsletter for an insightful and irreverent look at the (sometimes excruciating) world of Scottish Politics. Every Thursday our hotshot politics team goes behind the headlines to bring you a rundown of key events - plus insights and gossip from the corridors of power, including a 'Plonker' and 'Star' of the Week. Sign up now and make sure you don't miss a beat. The politicians would hate that. SIGN UP FOR FREE NOW But the Climate Change Committee insisted reducing harmful emissions gradually to hit the 2045 carbon neutral target will also come with major savings for Scottish households. They said: 'Delivering these budgets will have a net cost of around 0.4% of Scotland's GDP per year but will come with significant wider economic benefits for Scotland. 'These include savings to the economy and households from using more efficient, electric technologies.' The committee added that hitting the target requires 'immediate action at pace and scale' with Scotland needing a 'rapid increase' in the number of electric vehicles (EVs) on the roads. They also said the installation of heat pumps must also 'accelerate rapidly'. Interim Chair of the Climate Change Committee, Professor Piers Forster said: 'We do need to see action now. 'The Scottish Government has devolved powers to deliver the necessary emissions reductions in key sectors, particularly buildings, surface transport, agriculture, and land use.' 'We encourage them to exercise these powers as quickly and fully as possible.' But In Holyrood on Tuesday, ministers revealed they are 'off track' to meet key climate commitments on home heating, electric vehicle use, and industrial emissions. The annual climate change plan monitoring report found 17 targets were being missed, 16 on track, and 10 too early to say. Acting net zero secretary Gillian Martin said the number of targets being 'off track' did not 'jeopardise our ability to reach our ambitious goal of net zero by 2045'. She added: 'However it does say to me that we all should understand and investigate the reasons behind why we're off track in those areas and ramp up action. 'We are fully committed to taking decisive action to ensure that we get back on track and make meaningful progress towards our goal.' A bumper UK-wide poll suggested Scots attitudes to Net Zero are not different to the rest of the country, with 56 per cent agreeing cutting the cost of living must come ahead of being eco-friendly. Just ten per cent here disagreed, while 34 per cent neither agreed nor disagreed. Mike Robinson of Stop Climate Chaos Scotland said the Climate Change Committee's report showed Net Zero was 'deliverable'. He said: 'Climate action is not optional - the Scottish Government must now heed the CCC's advice, move on from discussing targets and whether we need to act to making it happen, and get Scotland's climate journey back on track.' Scottish Lib Dem MSP Liam McArthur added: 'If Scotland is going to meet its vital net zero targets then we are going to need more than just hot air from the Scottish Government.' Scottish Labour's net zero spokeswoman Sarah Boyack added: 'There can be no more excuses – the SNP must take action to cut emissions in Scotland and deliver the green jobs of the future.' Ms Martin added: 'The carbon budgets proposed via secondary legislation must provide an achievable pathway to net zero in 2045 – one which delivers better health outcomes, puts more money in people's pockets, and leaves no workers behind.'
Scotsman
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Scotsman
SNP told more heat pumps must be installed 'rapidly' in homes as 'immediate action' urged by climate advisers
Sign up to our Politics newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Experts have told SNP ministers to rethink rolling back controversial heat pump plans amid a stark warning that keeping net zero progress on track 'will require immediate action, at pace and scale'. Independent advisers, the Climate Change Committee (CCC), has set out new proposed targets for the Scottish Government to get Scotland's stuttering progress in cutting harmful emissions back on track. It comes after SNP ministers abolished their legal 2030 target and vowed to redraw the metrics to measure progress. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The Grangemouth complex is one of the biggest single sources of climate-harming greenhouse gases in Scotland, belching out around three million tonnes of emissions each year | National World Alongside the proposed targets, the CCC has set out a series of recommendations that SNP ministers will need to bring forward action on if the aims are to be met - with the costs estimated to be around £750 million a year - around £19 billion in total up to 2045. Last year, the Scottish Government confirmed it was overhauling its climate targets after admitting that its flagship legally-binding ambition to cut emissions by 75 per cent by 2030 was no longer possible. Instead, SNP ministers told Holyrood that instead of headline targets charting a route to net zero, when Scotland's contribution to the climate crisis will end, there would be a move to carbon budgets - used by the UK and Welsh governments - to measure progress. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The carbon budgets will restrict the total amount of greenhouse gases Scotland can emit over a five-year period. But the CCC has indicated that under the carbon budget model, instead of the 75 per cent 2030 target, that has now been scrapped, Scotland would need to have cut emissions by 57 per cent, compared to 1990 levels of pollution, over the next five years. Given the weakening of the 2030 ambition, more drastic action will be needed after 2030, with the carbon budget up to 2035 suggesting 69 per cent of progress, 80 per cent by 2040 and 94 per cent by 2045. READ MORE: Scots could face more drastic transport and heating rules amid 2045 net zero fears Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A Scottish Government monitoring report published on Tuesday on the now out-of-date climate change plan revealed only 16 of 43 progress indicators are on track. Interim chairman of the CCC, Professor Piers Forster, said: 'Scotland's new system of carbon budgets will help guide the action we need to get to net zero by 2045. We're delighted to be able to present a good news story about how Scotland can decarbonise. 'But we do need to see action now. The Scottish Government has devolved powers to deliver the necessary emissions reductions in key sectors, particularly buildings, surface transport, agriculture, and land use. We encourage them to exercise these powers as quickly and fully as possible.' Surge in heat pump uptake needed The CCC has stressed that two-fifths of homes in Scotland should be heated by low-carbon electric systems by 2035, adding the 'majority' of these would be heat pumps, with this then rising to 92 per cent of properties by 2045. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad John Swinney has flirted with the idea of exploring hydrogen as a source of low-carbon heating. His Government has signalled that a blueprint to decarbonise heat, first drawn up by Scottish Greens co-convener Patrick Harvie under the Bute House Agreement, will be watered down - with a requirement for people to change their heating system removed and the onus put onto the Scottish Government. In its advice, the CCC said that 'annual heat pump installations in existing homes will need to accelerate rapidly, reaching nearly 35,000 by 2030'. Little more than 6,000 heat pumps were installed in Scotland last year. However, the CCC stressed this 'rapid increase in installation rates is feasible', although it said 'immediate policy support' would be needed. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Air Source Heat Pumps The CCC also said it was 'disappointing' Scottish Government plans to require heating systems to be converted to low-carbon technologies after a property was sold 'have been abandoned' by ministers as they revamped the Heat in Buildings Bill. Concerns have been raised over the affordability of heat pump systems, despite Scots enjoying the most generous grants and loans anywhere in the UK. The majority of homes in Scotland will be able to install heat pumps, although for some off-grid and isolated properties, other low-carbon heating methods will be needed. Some tenement properties in Scotland's cities are likely to opt for district heating systems instead of individual heat pumps. Crucially, homes will need to be better insulated for heart pumps to be as effective as possible to lower heating demand, with uptake in Scandinavian nations far greater than Scotland. Electrification the way forward 'Electric technologies are now the clear low-carbon choice in many areas,' the CCC said. 'Technologies such as heat pumps and electric vehicles (EVs) are available today, and could be deployed rapidly, provided the right incentives are in place.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad In Edinburgh the council is doing little to encourage expansion of electric vehicle charging points beyond the 312 available now While the number of public EV charge points is already 7 per cent higher per person in Scotland than the UK average, ministers were told the number of chargers would 'need to continue to increase in line with EV uptake'. With the overhaul relying on a switch away from fossil fuels to electricity, the CCC stressed the importance of 'making electricity cheaper', with the organisation already making that a 'key recommendation' to the UK government. Progress has been 'too slow' Claire Daly, head of policy and advocacy at WWF Scotland, said the advice should act as 'a light-bulb moment' that ministers 'needs to take action'. Jamie Livingstone, head of Oxfam Scotland, added: 'Scotland's climate action so far has been too slow, too shallow and too soft on polluters and that's got to change. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'To stick within these proposed carbon budgets, we must swap delay and dither with proper investment in warm homes, sustainable travel and green jobs.' Scottish Conservative shadow net zero and energy secretary Douglas Lumsden pointed to the net zero costs of almost £19bn by 2045, branding them 'jaw-dropping'. Mr Lumsden added: 'That will alarm hard-pressed families and businesses who will fear being hammered with higher bills if they are forced to carry the burden themselves.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Conservative MSP Douglas Lumsden has submitted nearly 1,000 questions, at a cost of about £100,000, on subjects including the provenance of beeswax used for the Great Seal of Scotland | supplied Scottish Labour net zero spokesperson Sarah Boyack said 'from upgrading homes to supporting green transport, there is clearly a huge amount the SNP could do right now to make Scotland a fairer, greener country'. SNP acting net zero secretary Gillian Martin said the Scottish Government would 'carefully consider' the CCC's advice before 'bringing forward regulations to set Scotland's carbon budget levels'. She said the work would involve 'an assessment of whether the pace of decarbonisation is appropriate for people, sectors and businesses across Scotland'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Ms Martin said: 'The carbon budgets proposed via secondary legislation will provide an achievable pathway to net zero by 2044 - one that takes the public with us, leaving no one behind.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Petrol and diesel drivers switching to EV could be £700 better off
Electric cars could save drivers nearly £700 with proposals calling for an immediate end to fossil fuels. A Climate Change Committee (CCC) report has presented to the Labour Party government a new pathway to achieve a decarbonised UK by 2050. The plan requires reducing emissions by 87 per cent compared to 1990 levels by 2040 with electric vehicles being crucial. The report found that electrification will make up 60 per cent of emissions reductions by 2040. Interim Chair of the CCC, Professor Piers Forster, said: "The Committee is delighted to be able to present a good news story about how the country can decarbonise while also creating savings across the economy." READ MORE: Parking on driveway 'illegal' and UK households told to pay £7,000 for privilege READ MORE: Drivers urged to remember three documents they 'must' carry in car READ MORE Crucial check UK households must do this spring to avoid £3,500 bill By 2050, household driving bills are also predicted to be approximately £700 cheaper than today while energy bills are also expected to fall by a similar amount, with annual savings of around £716. Prof Forster said: 'For a long time, decarbonisation in this country has really meant work in the power sector, but now we need to see action on transport, buildings, industry, and farming. This will create opportunities in the economy, tackle climate change, and bring down household bills." He added: "Our analysis shows that there is no need to pitch action on climate change against the economy. We will need Government and business to deliver the investment, but we are confident that this Seventh Carbon Budget offers a secure, prosperous future for the UK." In addition, by 2040, the CCC's Balanced Pathway sees three-quarters of cars and vans and nearly two-thirds of heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) on the road being electric, up from only 2.8% of cars and 1.4% of vans in 2023. The share of new car and van sales that are electric grows quickly, ahead of the zero-emission vehicle mandate, reaching around 95% by 2030 and 100% by 2035. This is propelled by the falling cost of batteries, which allows electric cars to reach price parity with comparable petrol and diesel cars between 2026 and 2028. The pathway also assumes battery-electric vehicles are chosen to decarbonise all HGVs.
Zawya
26-02-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Britain needs huge switch to EVs, heat pumps and to eat less meat to hit net zero
LONDON: Britain must end its reliance on fossil fuels, switch to electric vehicles and heat pumps, and eat less meat to reach its 2050 net zero target, the country's climate change advisers said on Wednesday. The advice, in the Climate Change Committee's (CCC) seventh carbon budget for 2038-2042, lays bare the challenge of reaching the goal and comes as the government is under pressure to reduce bills after the energy regulator announced a third consecutive quarterly price rise this week. The CCC said Britain must cut emissions by 87% compared with 1990 levels by 2040 to reach net zero and targets set under the international Paris Climate agreement. Britain's GHG emissions fell almost 53% by the end of 2023 on 1990 levels largely due to cuts in the power sector due as renewable electricity grew and coal plants closed. "Now we need to see action on transport, buildings, industry and farming. This will create opportunities in the economy, tackle climate change, and bring down household bills," Piers Forster, Interim CCC Chair, said in a statement. The report, designed to show how the target can be met, recommends 80% of cars on the road by 2040 should be fully electric which would require nearly all new car sales to be electric from 2030. More than half of homes should also be heated by heat pumps by 2040, up from around 1% now. Transferring heating and transport to green electricity will require twice as much electricity as today, the report said and need a massive ramp up in renewable power. The government has made decarbonising the electricity sector a key goal and said it will ultimately lead to lower energy bills and slash the country's reliance on energy imports. The CCC said the transition would see savings for households by around 2040 and cut energy bills by some 700 pounds ($883.82) compared with current levels by 2050. The report recommends making electricity cheaper by removing policy costs from bills, making it easier to install technology like charging points and offering support to install heat pumps. In the budget average, meat consumption also falls 25% by 2040 and 35% by 2050 compared with 2019 levels. Meat consumption fell 10% between 2020 and 2022 and the CCC said its modelling reflected a continuation of this trend and expectation of cheaper and tastier meat alternatives. The report did not examine the impact of expansion at Heathrow or other airports and said aviation emissions should fall 17% by 2040 compared with 2023. The reduction is based on the industry rolling out sustainable fuel, becoming more efficient, managing demand growth and paying for carbon removal credits to offsets. Under the Climate Change Act, Britain must show how it will reach legally binding climate targets and set five-yearly carbon budgets 12 years in advance. The government has adopted the previous six carbon budgets put forward by the CCC. ($1 = 0.7920 pounds)
Reuters
26-02-2025
- Automotive
- Reuters
Britain needs huge switch to EVs, heat pumps and to eat less meat to hit net zero
Summary New cars should be mostly electric from 2030 Renewable electricity must soar Recommends drop in meat consumption Half of homes to have heat pumps by 2050 LONDON, Feb 26 (Reuters) - Britain must end its reliance on fossil fuels, switch to electric vehicles and heat pumps, and eat less meat to reach its 2050 net zero target, the country's climate change advisers said on Wednesday. The advice, in the Climate Change Committee's (CCC) seventh carbon budget for 2038-2042, lays bare the challenge of reaching the goal and comes as the government is under pressure to reduce bills after the energy regulator announced a third consecutive quarterly price rise this week. The CCC said Britain must cut emissions by 87% compared with 1990 levels by 2040 to reach net zero and targets set under the international Paris Climate agreement. Britain's GHG emissions fell almost 53% by the end of 2023 on 1990 levels largely due to cuts in the power sector due as renewable electricity grew and coal plants closed. "Now we need to see action on transport, buildings, industry and farming. This will create opportunities in the economy, tackle climate change, and bring down household bills," Piers Forster, Interim CCC Chair, said in a statement. The report, designed to show how the target can be met, recommends 80% of cars on the road by 2040 should be fully electric which would require nearly all new car sales to be electric from 2030. More than half of homes should also be heated by heat pumps by 2040, up from around 1% now. Transferring heating and transport to green electricity will require twice as much electricity as today, the report said and need a massive ramp up in renewable power. The government has made decarbonising the electricity sector a key goal and said it will ultimately lead to lower energy bills and slash the country's reliance on energy imports. The CCC said the transition would see savings for households by around 2040 and cut energy bills by some 700 pounds ($883.82) compared with current levels by 2050. The report recommends making electricity cheaper by removing policy costs from bills, making it easier to install technology like charging points and offering support to install heat pumps. In the budget average, meat consumption also falls 25% by 2040 and 35% by 2050 compared with 2019 levels. Meat consumption fell 10% between 2020 and 2022 and the CCC said its modelling reflected a continuation of this trend and expectation of cheaper and tastier meat alternatives. The report did not examine the impact of expansion at Heathrow or other airports and said aviation emissions should fall 17% by 2040 compared with 2023. The reduction is based on the industry rolling out sustainable fuel, becoming more efficient, managing demand growth and paying for carbon removal credits to offsets. Under the Climate Change Act, Britain must show how it will reach legally binding climate targets and set five-yearly carbon budgets 12 years in advance. The government has adopted the previous six carbon budgets put forward by the CCC. ($1 = 0.7920 pounds)
