The Conservative Party’s newly announced plans to scrap the Climate Change Act have prompted a backlash from political opponents and environmental groups.
The legislation, brought in by the last Labour government in 2008, committed the UK to cut climate emissions by 80% by 2050 and had five-yearly carbon budgets to keep the country on track.
However, under Tory leader Kemi Badenoch’s plans the party would “scrap the failed targets” and replace the Climate Change Act with an energy strategy that puts “cheap and reliable energy as the foundation for economic growth first.”
”Abandoning the Climate Change Act would damage economic growth and be nothing short of a betrayal.”
In response, Shirine Khoury-Haq (below left), chief executive of the Co-op and co-chair of the Net Zero Council, said: “Abandoning the Climate Change Act would damage economic growth and be nothing short of a betrayal - not just of global communities, including many which supply food to the UK and are already suffering the impact of the climate crisis, but also future generations denied the cleaner, greener and more prosperous future that we must work towards together.
“The UK is a world leader in climate targets, and we’re the first major economy to halve emissions. We are leaders in the science and technology behind this success, which has been made possible because of long-term private sector investment unlocked by the certainty provided by a strong legal framework. This is an enabler of economic growth for our nation.
“At Co-op our Climate Justice campaign for a faster and fairer transition to net zero is grounded in three principles - we’re led by the science, we’re working towards a fair and just transition for people and planet, and we’re co-operating across all parties, business and communities to drive systems change.”
Friends of the Earth chief executive Asad Rehman said: “For a mainstream political party to turn its back on the science in a desperate race to the bottom with those being bankrolled by discredited billionaires and dirty business, who want to stop climate action because it threatens their profits, is political suicide.”
Tanya Steele, chief executive at WWF, said: “It would be a devastating blow for nature, for household finances, and farmers on the front line of climate change.”
The Green Party, meanwhile, called the move “embarrassing”. MP Carla Denyer added: “Kemi Badenoch is taking the Conservatives even further down the path to irrelevance with this through-the-looking-glass idea.”
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