Dateline: May 1st 2025
Today is May Day – which at sea is the international nautical distress signal. That’s quite an appropriate thought for a world where, whilst many people believe the world is almost irretrievably in climatic and climactic distress, some are turning a blind eye. Others are casting aspersions on our chances of delivering the Net Zero targets set by the British government. So perhaps it’s time for a Net Zero update that considers just who should be responsible for delivering on our county’s promise to Mother Earth.
What’s the Plan Then?
Let’s have a recap of the scores on the Net Zero doors. The UK is a signatory to the Paris Agreement and has submitted Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) outlining its emissions reduction targets. As things stand this Mayday, the UK has a legally binding commitment to achieve Net Zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, enshrined in law through the Climate Change Act 2008 (2050 Target Amendment) Order 2019. This means the UK aims to reduce its total emissions to zero, while also actively removing carbon from the atmosphere. The government has also set interim targets, including a 78% emissions reduction by 2035.
Hot Air or Red Herring?
When you sit down and think about it, the UK Government making a law that obliges it to deliver a transformation in carbon emissions is a bit of a conundrum. If it doesn’t make the cut, by implication breaking the law, what happens? Does somebody get fined or go to jail? The government fining itself and then presumably paying the fine back to the exchequer seems like arrant nonsense.
Net Zero policy has become something of a political hot potato. Ex-UK Prime Minister Tony Blair claims that Net Zero has become ‘irrational and hysterical’ and is doomed to fail. The exponentially ascending Nigel Farage and his reform party are strongly opposed to the UK’s Net Zero policy and either want it scrapped or at least to hold a referendum, whilst further developing the UK’s natural resources in the North Sea to bring down energy costs and boost the economy.
What’s Our (Your) Individual Responsibility?
To deliver Net Zero targets by 2050 will require individuals and families to make significant changes – and change is always painful. Essentially the direction from Government is to phase out gas boilers and move to more electric power through sustainable and renewable clean tech sources. Much noise has been made around heat-pumps – which are neither practical nor suitable for around 50% of UK domestic homes Of the remaining 50% the investment and costs of installation and maintenance will be prohibitive.
Being Wise Before the Event – What Does Your Conscience Say?
Of course it’s not as simple as just saving the planet. Given the ever-rising cost of living, and the incursions made upon personal income from the current government’s tax regime, it’s about making personal savings too. Even more so if you’re one of the country’s more senior citizens, where freezing tax thresholds has caused many pensioners to fall foul (or should that be fowl - a word with at least an ‘owl’ within it for wisdom) of income tax. And let’s not even get started about the rescinded winter heating allowance.
Infra-Red Gives You a Win-Win ‘Double Bubble’
So what should we think of it all? Is it a matter of listening to your conscience about global warming, or is it about looking at life through the cash in your pocket? We’ll all have a view. But if we look at life through the lens of Infra-Red heating we can see there is a ‘win-win’ element – on the one hand IRs sustainability meets the more global goal. On the other, IRs low investment, low installation costs efficiencies means less money going up the chimney on the gas boiler and more going towards disposable income.