UK becomes first developed economy to examine Paris agreement commitments. Photo:Alamy
JUNE 27th 2019
By Patryk Krych | The World Daily
UK Becomes First Country to Implement Climate Change Net Zero Pact into Law
On Thursday it was publicised that Britain’s latest target to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2050 had become stapled into its law, in the process making it the first among the major G7 countries to set such a goal and arguably setting a new standard in the process.
Earlier this month, it was the outgoing Prime Minister Theresa May who had announced the target, stating that the plans were ambitious and would require dedication but were nonetheless essential for curbing global warming and preserving the planet for the sake of future generations.
The change will require huge changes within British communities in order to achieve the goal, such as a gradual effort to switch to more renewable electricity generation, lowering the popular use of petrol and diesel cars to acceptable rates by 2035 at the minimum, and at least a 20% cut in overall lamb and beef consumption.
Energy and clean growth minister Chris Skidmore stated that “The UK kick-started the Industrial Revolution, which was responsible for economic growth across the globe but also for increasing emissions.” He added that “Today we’re leading the world yet again in becoming the first major economy to pass new laws to reduce emissions to net zero by 2050.”
The present net target was made to replace a previous goal, which was to cut the country’s emissions by 80 percent compared with 1990 levels by the year 2050. Many felt this as a target had been underwhelming, and as such, campaigners said that it did not do nearly enough to meet the pledges made under the 2015 Paris climate agreement to try to curb the rise in global warming by at least 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Since pre-industrial times, temperatures have already risen by about an estimated one degree Celsius, which may by itself not seem quite so devastating, but does in fact spark massive differences in crop growths and general warming all across the globe. Scientists say that further increases may cause great risks in triggering tipping points that would make some parts of the world uninhabitable, devastating farming and totally flooding coastal cities.
There are still, however, climate groups such as Extinction Rebellion (who’d carried out weeks of civil disobedience and demonstrations earlier this year over climate change) that believe the new target is still enough to create the necessary change for the world, and demand an arguably impossible net zero target to be met by the year 2025.
Whilst it’s true that Britain’s greenhouse gas emissions have fallen by a great amount since 1990, at an estimated 43.5%, in no small part due to a revolutionary developments in renewable power sources, there is still much uncertainty around the idea that net zero can be reached by 2025, given the amount of change that would need to be implemented and accepted in such a short number of years.
By Patryk Krych | The World Daily
