Latest news with #netzero
Telegraph
10 hours ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Reform council scraps net zero target
A Reform-run council has become the first in the country to scrap net zero targets and will abandon plans to replace its fleet of cars with electric vehicles. West Northamptonshire council agreed on Wednesday to refocus its sustainability work to 'ensure its efforts deliver the greatest value to local residents and businesses'. It means the council will no longer be tied to a target to reach net zero by 2030, nor to encourage residents and businesses to do the same by 2045. The Telegraph understands that existing plans to replace the council's fleet of cars with electric vehicles has been scrapped, and work to install charging infrastructure to power the cars will no longer take place. But some green initiatives that could save residents money will continue, including a home insulation grant scheme and a plan to save water in public buildings. Mark Arnull, the council's leader, said it 'simply cannot afford net zero' and that the decision would deliver better value for money for voters. 'Every year our council faces financial challenges to deliver the statutory services we have to provide by law,' he said. 'The previous administration set no budget to fund net zero and instead set undeliverable targets that, if attempted, would likely send the council bust.' 'The Reform UK administration is fully committed to creating a more sustainable West Northamptonshire and being responsible custodians of our local environment. 'We want to further prioritise our focus on delivering practical, high-impact projects that make a real difference to people's lives.' 'Reduce energy bills' Reform's rejection of net zero policies was followed by the Conservatives earlier this year, when Kemi Badenoch announced that reaching the target by 2050 across the UK was no longer achievable. A national, legally-binding target was first introduced by Theresa May's government in 2019, shortly before she left office. Ed Miliband, the Energy Secretary, has begun an 'an exercise in radical truth-telling' to politicians who are sceptical of net zero, and says that extreme weather changes are threatening the 'British way of life'. Richard Tice, Reform's deputy leader, said: 'I am proud that a Reform UK council will be the first council in the country to scrap its net zero goals in order to prioritise practical, realistic projects that improve lives, reduce energy bills, and support local businesses. 'Reform UK is the only party that is committed to scrapping net zero in its entirety to save jobs and put more money in people's pockets.'
The Independent
11 hours ago
- Business
- The Independent
Davey vows to challenge Farage and calls for ‘Swedish-style' budget changes
Sir Ed Davey has vowed to take the fight to Nigel Farage by challenging his 'snake-oil sales' with 'thought-through' policy. In a wide-ranging speech, the Liberal Democrat leader accused his Reform UK rival of having 'no answers' to the problems facing Britain and said voters 'can't bank on anything that man says'. He also set out calls for a major shake-up of economic and net-zero policy, including a Swedish-style approach to Government whereby MPs are allowed to debate tax and spend changes – and propose alternatives and amendments – before the measures are finalised. Speaking at the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) in central London, Sir Ed said his party had considered its proposed reforms carefully beneath the headline announcements. Asked if a focus on technical detail would cut through to voters enough to combat a populist threat in the polls, he said: 'The truth is, Nigel Farage has no answer, right? 'Nigel Farage will tell you about all the problems, but when you ask him about his answers, he's just got nothing to say.' He added: 'We've got to hold these people to account for getting away with their snake-oil sales… the difference with us is we have thought through the policies underneath the headlines, which is why people can bank on them. 'They can't bank on anything that man says.' Asked if he saw Reform UK as the main political threat, Sir Ed said: 'He has to be taken on… I think he keeps misleading people.' The Lib Dem leader said Mr Farage's approach to renewable power 'would only benefit foreign dictators like Vladimir Putin'. He unveiled a package of pledges which he claimed could cut energy bills in half within 10 years, including a proposed switch of all green power contracts on to a subsidy scheme guaranteeing generators a fixed price. Such contracts for difference (CfD), awarded at a Government auction, would mean the 'link can be broken' between electricity costs and market fluctuations caused by the price of gas, Sir Ed said. He also proposed an Office for the Taxpayer, based in Parliament and designed to hold policy-makers to account, a 'bespoke' UK-EU customs union, an 'economic coalition of the willing' aimed at fostering more international trade, and a tougher approach to US President Donald Trump.
The Guardian
11 hours ago
- The Guardian
Clean energy should be a priority, not wuthering 'Brontë country' nostalgia
Re Simon Jenkins' article (Ed Miliband would let a turbine farm destroy Brontë country. We need net zero, but at what cost?, 14 July), there might be good reasons for opposing a windfarm on the Yorkshire moors, but Emily Brontë isn't one of them. Nor is the 'turbulent romance' of Wuthering Heights an appropriate filter through which to view the Pennines. The Brontës' local landscape would have changed considerably in their lifetime. They would have seen the rapid industrialisation of nearby towns such as Bradford and Halifax, and the mills that sprang up along the river in Haworth. They would have recognised the benefits of the expansion of the railways despite the impact on the countryside (their brother, Branwell, worked as a railway clerk). The 'historic Brontë village of Haworth' where they grew up was not a rural idyll, but a breeding ground for cholera and typhoid. The Brontë sisters must have applauded the campaign by their father, Patrick, for improved sanitation there, leading to the creation of a local reservoir that doubtless affected the countryside but also saved lives. We cannot afford to cordon off parts of the UK as a nostalgic theme park ('Brontë country'). Nor should we romanticise the lives of a family who grew up in an unimaginably unhealthy environment and died young as a result. The clean energy produced by windfarms is vastly preferable to the polluted environment that Emily Brontë endured, and it is likely that she of all people would have understood why a clean environment should be our first priority. Jane MiddletonBath Some of what Simon Jenkins writes about windfarms in beauty spots, on the necessity to protect the scientific importance of such areas, is unlikely to ruffle many feathers, but much of it sounds more like the Miliband neighbours he references. Only a day tripper wanting to see the moors and dropped off for 20 minutes on a pleasant spring day 'strolls' on the Pennine Way. If you haven't walked to Top Withens on a raw winter day, with sleet biting your cheeks, the wind wuthering, and water being blown uphill instead of flowing down, you cannot understand why the Pennines is such a great place for a windfarm. My great-grandchildren will still be able to walk the Pennine Way, with or without BoddenWakefield, West Yorkshire Simon Jenkins misunderstands what net zero is when he labels it 'a political ambition rather than a plausible target'. The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says clearly: 'From a physical science perspective, limiting human-caused global warming to a specific level requires limiting cumulative CO2 emissions, reaching at least net zero CO2 emissions'. And both the IPCC and the UK's Climate Change Committee are clear that it is not just plausible but achievable, with the latter's recent seventh carbon budget providing 'an ambitious, deliverable pathway for the UK to reach net zero by 2050'. So net zero is a scientific concept that is required to stop climate change. Indeed, net zero not only can but must be met if we are to avoid ever more dangerous impacts long into the Redmond-King Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit Simon Jenkins asks what landscapes we will lose in the bid to achieve net zero. He ought, rather, to ponder what will be left of them if we don't achieve this CaplanOxford Have an opinion on anything you've read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
The Independent
11 hours ago
- General
- The Independent
Kew's iconic Palm House to temporarily close in £60m renovation project
Kew Gardens ' iconic Palm House is set to close for up to five years as part of a £60 million net-zero initiative, the Royal Botanic Gardens has announced. The extensive renovations, encompassing the adjacent Waterlily House, aim to create the "first heritage net-zero glasshouses of their kind". The Royal Botanic Gardens (RBG) cited significant deterioration in both structures, last refurbished in the 1980s, necessitating the restoration. The comprehensive overhaul will involve replacing 16,500 glass panes with high-performance sealed glazing, incorporating bespoke silicone gaskets to minimise heat loss, and installing a fully electrified air and water source heat pump system. The project is not expected to commence until 2027, with the glasshouses closing for up to five years once work begins. The Palm House, completed in 1848, houses tropical and sub-tropical plants; the Waterlily House, opened in 1852, showcases giant Amazon waterlilies. There will also be upgrades to the rainwater storage and irrigation system and the restoration of original ornamental garden layouts and finishes. Richard Deverell, director of RBG Kew, said: 'This is a pivotal moment in the history of Kew. 'With sustainability at the core of our mission, this project exemplifies our commitment to safeguarding both the environment and cultural heritage. 'The transformation of the Palm House and Waterlily House into net-zero icons will not only protect irreplaceable plants but serve as a beacon of what sustainable heritage can achieve.' The project is expected to cost £60 million and the relocation and propagation of plant specimens by Kew's horticulturists has already begun. Two glasshouses, one permanent and one temporary, have been built for the cultivation of the tropical plants as the work commences. There are around 1,300 plants within the Palm House alone. Tom Pickering, head of glasshouse collections at RBG Kew, added: 'At the heart of this project is the need to protect the extraordinary plant collections housed in the Palm House and Waterlily House. 'Besides being beautiful, many have cultural, scientific and conservation value, and replacing these collections is unimaginable. 'Achieving net zero in these historic buildings is an unprecedented task, it's a complex challenge which must consider the interplay of horticulture, climatic control, engineering and architecture.'
BBC News
15 hours ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Durham County Council votes to scrap net zero pledge
A county council has revoked its net zero pledge, despite opposition from cross-party councillors and UK councillors in County Durham moved to scrap the 2019 declaration, with an alternative social care pledge voted council leader Darren Grimes, who brought the motion to revoke the climate vow, said: "We are done with expensive virtue-signalling tripe, and care about our residents."Liberal Democrat Mark Wilkes said the council had saved £13m in the past year through climate-saving efficiencies and labelled the Reform motion "cynical and insulting". The previous council environment pledge aimed to achieve net zero emissions by 2045. Net zero means no longer adding to the total amount of greenhouse gases in the said the alternative "care emergency" declaration would help recognise the "critical and escalating crisis" in children's social care, including Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) added: "We seek to declare a real care emergency that's devouring our kids and coffers in tandem." Campaigners gathered outside Durham County Hall before the vote to oppose the banners and placards warned of the ongoing climate emergency, telling council leaders to "get your heads out of the sand". Another message, held by one young boy, read: "If you care…allow me to have a future."Durham County Council received a national award last year for its carbon reduction and was praised for its use of green technologies, including wind turbines, solar panels, and battery said social care issues had "nothing whatsoever to do with climate change"."It is our young people who are going to be most impacted by climate change, and indeed, the savings we have been making off the back of our action on the climate, including energy efficiency measures, is actually helping us to protect frontline social care services," he Elmer, Green Party councillor for Brandon, opposed the Reform plea and said: " If councillor Grimes really cared about SEND provision, he'd have brought this motion without reference to climate change."He'd have worked for cross-party consensus on it, he'd have looked to get ideas and input on how to improve the lives of SEND kids in County Durham from across this chamber."But instead, he's stoked controversy and division. Undoubtedly, many people will conclude it's the controversy that he really cares about."Sixty-two Reform councillors voted to approve the motion, while seven from other parties voted against. There were 17 abstentions and 12 councillors were not present at the meeting, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said. Reform renamed several key council departments in May, including removing references to climate change in one key cabinet portfolio. Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
