What’s the Emission Reductions Plan?

• Author: Thomas Coughlan
• Published date: 19 May 2022
• Publication title: Guardian, The

Targets The Government wants at least 30 per cent of passenger cars to be zero emissions by 2035, and it wants people to drive 20 per cent less by that year too. This means people in cities living closer together and using public transport more

Both targets were consulted on last year but have now been affirmed.

The Government has raised its ambitions for freight transport. Its target will be to reduce emissions by 35 per cent by 2035.

The Government has slightly lowered its sights when it comes to reducing the emissions intensity of transport fuel. This target has been lowered slightly, to reduce emissions by 10 per cent by 2035.

One of the biggest targets — missing from the draft emissions plan last year — is to set a target of 50 per cent of final energy consumption coming from renewable sources by 2035. So far, the Government has set targets for renewable electricity generation (100 per cent by 2030); expanding that target to include all energy is a big step.

Bans The plan reaffirms Labour’s policy of banning new fossil fuel electricity generation. It also includes a proposal to ban the importing of polluting cars. By next year, the Government plans to set a maximum CO2 emissions level for new cars. The limit would either ban the import of those cars, or force people importing the vehicles to pay a heavy penalty.

Softly softly — and potential u-turns The Government had heavily signalled it would look to extend its half-price public transport fares in the plan. Half-price public transport fares are slated to run out in weeks, unless given a further top-up in today’s Budget.

There was no indication this would be extended in the emissions reduction plan, beyond a commitment to work with local government to “make public transport more affordable, with a particular focus on low-income users”. (The Government did commit to having fully zero emissions public transport by 2035).

That’s not a definite U-turn, but it’s hardly a ringing endorsement of the plan either.

One proposal that has emphatically disappeared from the plan was a proposal from the Government’s consultation document to ban new gas connections to homes. The Government has scrapped this, but is working on an overall emissions standard for buildings.

Funds At last year’s Budget, the Government announced it would funnel revenue generated from the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) into climate change projects. Last December, it dubbed the scheme by which it would do this the “Climate Emergency...