Net Zero Annoucement and COP26

[malumbu]

My initial response was feeling rather underwhelmed. I need to digest this further. I see it has already been bumped down the BEEB's on-line headlines, as Mo Salah's late goal is more important than the climate crisis (interestingly of course he presented one of the awards on that Climate Change Challenge)

Transport seems a rehash of the 2018 Road to Zero strategy - still relying on electric cars rather than reducing demand and more efficient use of vehicles. The middle and upper classes have benefited from subsidies to the cost of EVs, and we no longer need to throw money at reducing the purchase price to grow the market. Maximum average CO2 emissions for the manufacturers, set by the EU, are the way to push manufacturers harder, but we have opted out of this now.

Funding is small say compared to how much was spent on test and trace

If a bi-product is more jobs/greater wealth then great, but don't make this a pre-condition of tackling the climate crisis. As Stern said 30 years ago if we don't tackle climate change we will not have an economy.

I'll need to find out what they said about building insulation - nowt in the BBC report. Go to Scandinavia where they had high standards on insulation tens of years ago, and it is shocking compared to the vast majority of our properties which have very poor insulation.

I'd love to know if anyone has insulated their older property, it feels like a massive step, and the houses I have seen are poorly finished so you can see all the joints in the external cladding.

From the CCC (albeit a few years ago):

In 2012, direct buildings emissions (mainly from the use of gas for heating) accounted for 37% of UK greenhouse gas emissions (91 MtCO2). Buildings also were responsible for 67% of electricity consumption and related (i.e. indirect) emissions.In our 2010 advice on the fourth carbon budget, we suggested that the cost-effective path to the 2050 target involved direct emission reductions in buildings of 36% by 2025 and 53% by 2030 from 2007 levels. Measures to achieve these reductions included increased home insulation (in particular solid wall insulation), widespread deployment of heat pumps in both residential and non-residential sectors, as well as bioenergy and district heating from low-carbon sources.

Edited - the Heating and Building Strategy is not a strategy, it is long winded (200 pages) and anodyne - bit like our PM! https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1026507/heat-buildings-strategy.pdf

There is brief mention in the even longer net zero strategy, but no apparent commitments (I have seen somewhere about a ?400m fund for houses, but again no detail). https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1026655/net-zero-strategy.pdf It's enough to make you want to superglue yourself to the M25

[malumbu]

Just amended this thread so in time there may be more interest - ie in the run up and holding of COP26. Yeterday's story died a quick death although I didn't catch up on the papers - some were excited by our PM (ie the right leaning ones), Indie and Guardian were sceptical, and one (I think the Times) talked about the PM's one trillion pounds gamble and the possibility of raising Taxes (Chancellor is leaving his mark). From the Guardian: Prof Kevin Anderson from the University of Manchester, tells the paper it is "a story of subterfuge, delusion, offsetting and piecemeal policies - all dressed up as a shiny new strategy".

Sad with climate change clearly happening there wasn't more engagement in this announcement.

I've cut from the government's press release and would love more substance on where the spending is going.

?3.9 billion of new funding for decarbonising heat and buildings, including the new ?450 million 3-year Boiler Upgrade Scheme, so homes and buildings are warmer, cheaper to heat and cleaner to run