Prime Minister Boris Johnson has outlined his 10 climate pledges for a green industrial revolution for 2,50,000 jobs and ending the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2030.
Covering clean energy, transport, nature and innovative technologies, the Prime Minister’s blueprint launched on Tuesday will allow the UK to forge ahead with eradicating its contribution to climate change by 2050, particularly crucial in the run up to the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow next year.
The plan — which is part of the PM’s mission to level up across the country — will mobilise £12 billion of government investment to create and support up to 2,50,000 highly-skilled green jobs in the UK, and spur over three times as much private sector investment by 2030.
At the centre of his blueprint are the UK’s industrial heartlands, including in the North East, Yorkshire and the Humber, West Midlands, Scotland and Wales, which will drive forward the green industrial revolution and build green jobs and industries of the future.
The Prime Minister’s ten points, which are built around the UK’s strengths, are:
Offshore wind: Producing enough offshore wind to power every home, quadrupling how much it produces to 40GW by 2030, supporting up to 60,000 jobs.
Hydrogen: Working with industry aiming to generate 5GW of low carbon hydrogen production capacity by 2030 for industry, transport, power and homes, and aiming to develop the first town heated entirely by hydrogen by the end of the decade.
Nuclear: Advancing nuclear as a clean energy source, across large scale nuclear and developing the next generation of small and advanced reactors, which could support 10,000 jobs.
Electric vehicles: Backing world-leading car manufacturing bases, including in the West Midlands, North East and North Wales, to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles, and transforming the national infrastructure to better support electric vehicles.
Public transport, cycling and walking: Making cycling and walking more attractive ways to travel and investing in zero-emission public transport of the future.
Jet Zero and greener maritime: Supporting difficult-to-decarbonise industries to become greener through research projects for zero-emission planes and ships.
Homes and public buildings: Making homes, schools and hospitals greener, warmer and more energy efficient, whilst creating 50,000 jobs by 2030, and a target to install 6,00,000 heat pumps every year by 2028.
Carbon capture: Becoming a world-leader in technology to capture and store harmful emissions away from the atmosphere, with a target to remove 10MT of carbon dioxide by 2030, equivalent to all emissions of the industrial Humber today.
Nature: Protecting and restoring natural environment, planting 30,000 hectares of trees every year, whilst creating and retaining thousands of jobs.
Innovation and finance: Developing the cutting-edge technologies needed to reach these new energy ambitions and make the City of London the global centre of green finance.
The UK Prime Minister said: “Although this year has taken a very different path to the one we expected, I haven’t lost sight of our ambitious plans to level up across the country.
“My ten point plan will create, support and protect hundreds of thousands of green jobs, whilst making strides towards net zero by 2050.
“Our green industrial revolution will be powered by the wind turbines of Scotland and the North East, propelled by the electric vehicles made in the Midlands and advanced by the latest technologies developed in Wales, so we can look ahead to a more prosperous, greener future.”
Following extensive consultation with car manufacturers and sellers, the Prime Minister has confirmed that the UK will end the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2030, 10 years earlier than planned.
However, it will allow the sale of hybrid cars and vans that can drive a significant distance with no carbon coming out of the tailpipe until 2035.
The UK car industry already manufactures a significant proportion of electric vehicles in Europe, including one of the most popular models in the world.
Responding to the announcements, Mohamed Adow, Director of Nairobi-based energy and climate think tank, Power Shift Africa Director, told IANS in a statement, “Nowhere suffers more disproportionately from the climate crisis than Africa, so it’s good to see Boris Johnson stepping up and providing personal leadership on this issue.
“As hosts of the crucial UN climate summit next year in Glasgow it has a key role in securing a new era of global action to cut emissions and support those already suffering from climate breakdown. The eyes of the world will be on Britain.”
The UK Prime Minister’s speech coincides with a new report from Power Shift Africa which shows that the UK burns more CO2 per person than 18 Commonwealth countries combined.
“The UK government announcement on ban of petrol or diesel cars would positively impact the health issues caused by air pollution from such vehicles. It is going to be life saviour for current and future generations,” said Quality and Accreditation Institute CEO Bhupendra Kumar Rana.
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