In Short : The United Kingdom’s shifting climate patterns are posing challenges in the nation’s pursuit of net-zero emissions, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The changing climate brings about increased risks, impacting various sectors and necessitating adaptive measures. These shifts may make it more difficult to achieve net-zero goals, requiring further investments and robust strategies to mitigate the effects and continue the progress towards a sustainable future.
In Detail : Britain’s climate policy shift will make it harder for the country to achieve its net-zero emissions target, an International Monetary Fund official said Friday.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced last month that a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars would be delayed from 2030 to 2035.
He also lowered the proportion of households that will be required to replace their gas boilers with a low-carbon alternative. And he scrapped a plan to make landlords improve the energy efficiency of their properties.
Britain aims to become net zero by 2050 as part of global efforts to slash emissions enough to prevent temperatures from rising by more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
“The UK has been at the forefront of global efforts to reduce global emissions. It has very ambitious targets,” said Laura Papi, deputy director of the IMF’s Europe department.
“However, some of the measures that were recently implemented … make it more difficult for the UK to reach its targets,” she told reporters at the IMF-World Bank annual meetings in Marrakesh, Morocco.
The government’s own climate advisers had reached that conclusion, she said.
“It is important for the UK to stay the course in terms of climate policies and build on its successes,” Papi added.
Sunak insisted he remains committed to net zero, but has not provided any evidence to prove the new changes are compatible with the country’s targets, the government’s independent Climate Change Committee (CCC) said Thursday.