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UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has a plan and believes he is
striding down a path to revolution, a green revolution, but in a
shade of his own choosing.
Unveiled 17 November, Johnson's 10-point plan promises the
creation of 250,000 jobs in the clean energy arena and a
revitalization of the country's industrial heartlands such as
northeast England, Yorkshire, England's West Midlands plus Scotland
and Wales on the road to net-zero emissions.
"Our green industrial revolution will be powered by the wind
turbines of Scotland and [northeast England], 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," Johnson said in a statement
accompanying the plan.
Johnson's plan referenced the country's heritage on multiple
occasions, a path oft trodden by Conservative Party leaders.
But unlike some of his more immediate predecessors, who favored
austerity and moderation when it came to responding to a crisis,
Johnson is willing to open the public coffers.
An extra £200 million of additional funding to create two
"carbon capture clusters" by the mid-2020s will be on offer, with
another two clusters set to be created by 2030. Johnson said this
would take the total for support from the government to a round £1
billion ($1.32 billion), which he said would support 50,000 jobs
"to revitalize the birthplaces of the first industrial
revolution."
The plan also promises up to £500 million for advancing the use
of hydrogen, including for trialing use in homes for heating and
cooking. Of this funding total, nearly half will be for hydrogen
production facilities.
A similar overall amount of funding was promised for helping
develop large and smaller-scale nuclear plants, and research and
develop new advanced modular reactors.
In what is something of a theme for Johnson, the plan shows a
willingness to split from his sometime friends across the English
Channel, or La Manche, depending on which shore the observer
stands.
The vision for achieving net-zero emissions through increased
nuclear, low carbon hydrogen and carbon capture "stands in contrast
with what we've seen from other governments" in Europe, according
to Steven Knell, Research and Analysis Director, IHS Markit.
"The contrast with the EU Green Deal and its vision of a climate
neutral European continent through growth in renewables and green
hydrogen is notable. The UK plan shows there's no single way to
achieve net zero, and also, that it is willing to go its own way in
its post-Brexit energy transition," he added.
Energy industry advocates also noted the broad span of the
plans.
Energy UK Chief Executive Emma Pinchbeck said: "We can only
reach the net-zero target with efforts on all fronts, so we welcome
the Prime Minister's commitment …".
"The energy industry will power delivery on most of the Prime
Minister's bold targets, like those for electric vehicles, heat
pumps, and energy efficiency - and on the investment in
technologies, like hydrogen, nuclear and wind. Businesses see the
massive potential for showing global leadership on the green
economy as we also host the UN climate change negotiations in 2021
and rebuild after the pandemic," she added.
End for new gasoline, diesel vehicles sales brought
forward
The energy sector isn't Johnson's only concern, he also
announced plans for the source of 20% of the country's emissions,
according to Office for National Statistics data.
Johnson sees a brighter, electrified future for road
transportation, which comes after the UK automotive manufacturing
sector took a hammering over the past couple of decades, lately as
the threat of various Brexit permutations ramped up business
leaders' uncertainty and hampered long-term planning.
Johnson's transportation game plan foresees some £1.3 billion of
support to accelerate the rollout of charging stations for electric
vehicles, £582 million in grants for zero or ultra-low emission
vehicle purchase and almost £500 million spending in the next four
years for the development and mass-scale production of electric
vehicle (EV) batteries.
The UK will end the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans
by 2030, 10 years earlier than planned, according to Johnson, who
added "we 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 proposal to bring the deadline forward surprised some,
including the domestic trade association for carmakers.
"This new deadline, fast-tracked by a decade, sets an immense
challenge," Mike Hawes, chief executive of the Society of Motor
Manufacturers and Traders, said in a statement.
"We want this transition to be 'made in the UK', but if we are
to remain competitive - as an industry and a market - this is just
the start of what's needed," he said.
"Success will depend on reassuring consumers that they can
afford these new technologies, that they will deliver their
mobility needs and, critically, that they can recharge as easily as
they refuel," he added.
The 10 points:
Offshore wind: Producing enough offshore wind to power every
home, quadrupling production 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.
EVs: Backing car manufacturing bases including in the West
Midlands, northeast England and North Wales to accelerate the
transition to electric vehicles, and transforming the country's
infrastructure to better support EVs.
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-decarbonize 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 600,000 heat pumps every year
by 2028.
Carbon capture: Becoming a world-leader in technology to
capture and store emissions away from the atmosphere, with a target
to remove 10 million mt of carbon dioxide by 2030, equivalent to
all emissions in the Humber currently.
Nature: Protecting and restoring the 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 center of green finance.
RT @SPGlobal: Many nations have set #NetZero Emissions by 2050 as their climate goal. Will be enough minerals to meet the requirements? Joi…
Jul 11
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