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LONDON – Britain used to shout about its net zero goals. Not anymore.
Used as a badge of honor by previous Conservative governments: Theresa May made Britain the first major economy to enshrine a net zero target in law, while Boris Johnson was a champion of environmental policies; the pledge to eliminate carbon emissions now finds itself taking a back seat to Rishi Sunak’s tougher promise of “energy security” for the nation.
To that end, Sunak and his energy security secretary, Grant Shapps, will travel outside London on Thursday to unveil a mix of decarbonisation initiatives collectively dubbed an “energy revolution”.
The push had originally been dubbed a “green day” in Whitehall, according to Bloomberg, and was intended to reveal more details of the UK’s response to green subsidies under the US president’s Inflation Reduction Act Joe Biden.
But since then, British government officials have been desperate to play it down, with one insisting that “Green Day” is “actually Energy Security Day”. Business figures close to Shapps’ newly created Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) say his team appear keen to emphasize the first half of their brief and reluctant to touch on the second, for fear of a Tory backlash .
The shift in messaging offers a telling insight into current Conservative thinking on climate, though it does little to allay fears that the party’s enthusiasm for net zero is waning.
“This will be a time to judge the level of commitment,” former COP26 president and Conservative MP Alok Sharma, a zero advocate, told POLITICO.
Power and influence
Sunak’s February creation of DESNZ allows him to argue that energy and climate issues have taken on new prominence in Whitehall, with most viewers agreeing that a more defined ministry is a good thing.
“The problem is that he might have a hard time influencing other departments,” said Tom Sasse, net leader of the Institute for Government think tank. “The impetus has to come from the power brokers,” he added, citing the rise secretary Michael Gove, chancellor Jeremy Hunt and Sunak himself as examples. “There is a question about whether Sunak will use the political capital to get new net-zero policies down the line.”
Hunt has shown little sign of wanting to weigh in so far. Treasury officials distanced themselves from the “green day” plans set for Thursday, which served to underline the shortage of fresh cash to support Britain’s net-zero ambitions.
As for the prime minister, a former government aide said: “Boris clearly understood that, but it’s not one of Rishi’s top priorities.”
They suggested that Sunak’s recalcitrance was based on an assumption “that he’s not as much of a priority for voters, which I think is a mistake.”
No. 10 contributors have consistently rejected that analysis, pointing to their long-standing support for green finance initiatives and their personal involvement in Thursday’s event.
But Sunak and Shapps are no doubt aware of the growing murmurs of discontent in the Conservative backbenches over the UK’s net zero targets, even though polls show the British public overwhelmingly support decarbonisation measures.
Former Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage, a perennial thorn in the side of the Tory party, is also campaigning against net zero.
Tory MP Craig Mackinlay, chairman of the Net Zero Scrutiny Group, urged ministers to cut taxes on oil and gas companies and promise more fossil fuel exploration in the North Sea as part of their latest energy plan.
“This could be the start of a more balanced and rational approach to net zero,” he said. “One that recognizes the continued importance of the oil and gas industry to our economy and the massive risks to energy security and affordability if we impose a sector that doesn’t exist.”
What is advertised
The reality is that Thursday’s announcements have been forced, in part, by the government’s lack of prior delivery of the duties.
Last year, the UK High Court ordered ministers to present an improved version of their net zero plan by the end of March 2023, demanding additional data on how the pledge to reach net zero emissions would actually work. carbon in 2050.
As well as providing this update, the government will respond to an independent review carried out by Tory MP Chris Skidmore, which called for 25 actions by 2025, including the rapid deployment of onshore solar and wind panels, and the UK’s damning Climate Change Committee Wednesday unit report, which described Britain as “shockingly unprepared” for global warming.
Ministers are also expected to discuss the next phase of already advanced plans for carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects, boost funding for offshore wind, hydrogen-powered energy and insulation schemes domestic, and seek private investment for manufacturing and supply. of heat pumps.
Speaking ahead of the launch, Shapps hailed “access to cheap, abundant and reliable energy” as “the cornerstone of a thriving economy”.
what’s missing
But even as Shapps announces a dizzying array of consultations, investment incentives and rebranded efficiency drives, climate experts are keeping a close eye on the loopholes in its programme.
“I’m pretty sure the numbers that come out to zero don’t add up,” said Dustin Benton, Green Alliance policy director. “Obviously that’s why they lost the court case. And that might be one of the reasons why they’re trying to emphasize the energy security side of things.”
Ed Miliband, Labour’s shadow climate secretary, said: “What was billed with great fanfare as the government’s ‘green day’ turns out to be a weak, weak groundhog day of re-announcements, reheated policies and no new investment”.
Ministers are not expected to say anything about the review of the Energy Charter Treaty, which many see as incompatible with the net zero goal. Omitting an update on the zero-emission vehicle mandate would leave the auto industry adrift.
Ministers are tight-lipped on any move aimed at triggering new onshore wind projects, which will be closely watched after rebel Tory MPs forced the issue to be tabled in December.
Another likely source of pain is inaction by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), which has already been warned of legal consequences for not saying how it plans to reduce emissions.
A lobbyist said DEFRA’s handling of key policies had been “diabolical” and a “crap”, highlighting a consultation on the consistency of recycling collections in England, which closed in July of 2021 and still has not had an answer.
Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey is believed to be reluctant to take on the farming lobby with an election around the corner, even though her relationship with the sector is already strained. A Coffey ally insisted she was “focused on delivery” and “determined to support farmers in the transition to a low-carbon economy”.
‘big bazooka’ time
More broadly, the ‘Energy Security Day’ will not provide comprehensive answers to what the UK is doing to gain an edge in the global green race.
The US, EU and Canada have announced massive new state subsidy programs aimed at competing with China and each other to dominate green technology industries.
Sharma called for a “big bazooka moment” and warned that if the government did not step up on Thursday, the UK could be “left behind”.
But that appears set to be proposed by the end of the year, with Hunt appointing former business minister Richard Harrington to oversee a review of foreign investment due to report in the autumn.
Without a serious response, at least, to Biden’s green subsidies, the UK could be left behind for decades to come.
