Prime Minister Boris Johnson unveiled his plans for a ‘green revolution’ on Tuesday. He aims for zero emissions by 2050. Two weeks before the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland, the British government is making frantic efforts to boost its green image. On Tuesday it was prime minister Boris Johnson’s turn to make his contribution.
At the Global Investment Summit in London, and in front of an audience of investors, billionaires and multinationals, the Conservative unveiled his plans for a ‘green revolution’.
“The United Kingdom will show the world the way to zero emissions,” he said.
The British had already indicated in 2019 that they would aim for zero emissions by 2050. Now the Johnson government has mapped out the route to that goal more concretely. For example, it is working for carbon-free electricity production by 2035.
Hydrogen, wind and solar energy play an important role in the strategy. But like the French president Emmanuel Macron, London does not renounce nuclear power which may send Greta crying. By 2024, for example, the British government hopes to have funding for a major nuclear site.
In addition, it sees benefit in new nuclear technology, such as small, modular reactors. The big advantage is that they can be built in factories and then transported to the operating site, where they can be installed relatively easily.
CO2 emissions from homes and offices must also be reduced. That is why home owners will soon be able to claim £ 5,000 in aid to get rid of gas boilers and install heat pumps. By 2035, new gas boilers will no longer be sold in the UK.
The government aims to phase out sales of petrol and diesel cars by 2030. She takes full advantage of electric cars and focuses on the construction of giga factories for the production of batteries.
The government also plans to require companies to develop detailed plans to achieve zero emissions by 2050. Companies must also make these transition plans public.
Johnson estimates that the cost of the energy transition will be around 1 to 2 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2050. In order to achieve the objectives, they rely mainly on billions from the private sector. In addition, the government in London is pushing for the strategy to create 440,000 jobs by 2030.
‘With the Great Climate Summit COP26 approaching, our strategy can serve as a guide for other countries to draw the green card for economic recovery’, Prime Minister stated on Tuesday.
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