There’s not much that unites our fractured House of Commons at the moment. But on one issue, politicians from all parties seem to agree: the great British public don’t really want ambitious action to meet net zero goals. They may concur on this – but they are wrong.Yers, here comes a Guardian columnist to tell us what's reality - in her world.
It was Theresa May who signed the target into law in 2019, with cross-party support. Council elections this spring saw victories for Reform UK, which opposes most net zero policies outright, and argues for an economy based on fossil fuels. Meanwhile, the Labour government has net zero as one of its five missions, yet it, too, seems reluctant to make a positive case for action to tackle the climate crisis. It worries there won’t be enough support for policies such as replacing gas boilers or managing demand for flying, and it has been further cowed by unhelpful voices off from (sic) the former prime minister Tony Blair.
But now the plans are starting to bite and hit voters in the pocket, they are no longer keen to be the guinea pigs for pie-in-the-sky eco-nonsense.
Sounds plausible to some, but there’s a catch: this isn’t actually what people want at all. Our research with politicians and citizens shows that politicians consistently underestimate public support for climate action.
Because you've carefully selected those politicians andd citizen to ensure you get exactly the response you need....
There is a fundamental disconnect between what politicians believe the country thinks, and what evidence shows is the reality on the ground.
I don't doubt that, but if you think people are willing to swallow the Net Zero nonsense, you've got another think coming.
Why is it that politicians get this so wrong? The answer lies in who they are hearing from. Think of public opinion on climate and some caricatures are likely to pop into your head. The climate protesters and campaigners, some so committed that they are willing to risk a prison sentence. And at the other end of the spectrum, an equally noisy minority who question climate science, or express deep scepticism about the solutions, whether windfarms, heat pumps or electric vehicles.
Because they've experienced them!
It’s far from inevitable that climate issues will be dragged down by polarised politics. That’s not what people want. But unless politicians stop assuming and start listening, that’s what may happen.
Sadly, the cheap, green energy promise turns out so often to be just another politician's promise - and we all know how those turn out by now!
2 comments:
If it was in my power, I'd install solar panels in places where the sunlight is reflected into the windows of the net zero supporting numpties. The recent incident at an international airport where the reflections from these panels were blinding pilots as they came into land, shows that these morons never really look at the effects of their stupidity.
Penseivat
I am one of those climate deniers, in the sense that I believe that whatever change there is occurring to the climate - if any - it is so predominantly the effect of natural causes and not human ones.
What the net zero nutters forget, if they ever knew, is that as little as around 20k years ago, glaciers came as far south as Watford, the North Sea was dry and so was the English Channel, with global sea levels 125m lower than today so that the Atlantic started at the Scilly Isles, and the Mediterranean probably 145m lower than today. Climate isn't constant.
The predictions aren't really about climate, because the climate will still remain temperate at the latitude of the UK - even if they are right we'll still be cold in winter.
My questions are:
1. If you are right, what real difference will doing nothing make to life in the UK?
2.What difference to world climate would be made if the UK went to net zero instantly today?
3. Why don't you behave in line with what you say you believe?
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