Net Zero means massive cuts in meat, heat, cars, dairy products

Written by dailymail.co.uk on April 23, 2021. Posted in Current News

Image: HVP Magazine

The cost to YOU of Boris’s green dream: To meet 80 percent reduction on carbon emissions by 2035 we’ll have to spend £10,000 upgrading our homes, drink three TEASPOONS of milk a day, eat meat just twice a week, endure colder houses, drastically reduce car use and barely fly once a year.

Boris Johnson’s plans to slash the UK’s greenhouse emissions by nearly four-fifths in a decade sparked criticism today, as the PM was accused of ‘shameless virtue signalling‘ and pursuing unreachable targets that would put the UK’s economic recovery at risk.

The Prime Minister has described the target to reduce emissions by 78% on 1990 levels by 2035, which will be set in law under the Government’s sixth carbon budget, as the most ambitious in the world. 

It has been announced on the eve of a major US summit on Thursday where President Joe Biden is expected to set out a new US target for reducing emissions.

According to advice from the Government’s advisory Climate Change Committee (CCC), delivering on the target will mean radical changes including an end to heating homes with natural gas boilers, lower meat and dairy diets and a switch to electric cars. 

The target sparked criticism today as the intrusive and costly adaptations needed to achieve it were laid bare, including spending £10,000 on upgrading homes, cutting foreign holidays and reducing meat consumption by a fifth.

Hugh Bladon, from the Alliance of British Drivers, said: ‘Boris can say what the hell he likes but by the time we get round to it he’ll be history. So this is all shameless virtue signalling. He’s trying to make himself a big world leader and environmentalist. If Boris wants to cosy up to Biden then good luck to him, but this would be economically crippling.“

Other changes include switching from petrol and diesel cars to electric vehicles and from gas boilers to clean home heating, more offshore wind power, a reduction in meat and dairy consumption and planting of new woodlands.

Announcing the move, Mr Johnson said: ‘We want to continue to raise the bar on tackling climate change, and that’s why we’re setting the most ambitious target to cut emissions in the world.’

The major changes that will be necessary to achieve the 78% CO2 reduction – as set out by a report by the Climate Change Committee – are detailed below.

Significantly reduced meat and dairy intake

One measure to meet the emissions target includes requiring people to cut the amount of meat and dairy they eat by a fifth in the next decade, the CCC said.

Average meat consumption currently stands at 70g a day, according to the NHS, so reducing this by a fifth would equal 56g – approximately the weight of a chicken breast.

This means that someone who has meat for every three meals could only do this twice a week. 

Similarly, the average Briton would need to reduce averge milk consumption down to 16ml a day – roughly three teaspoons. 

Tory MP Peter Bone criticised the plan for meat and dairy when it was first proposed by the Climate Change Committee last year.

‘It’s the sort of thing that won’t happen because of government intervention. Maybe more people will move that way,’ Mr Bone said. ‘But government won’t say to people, ”you can only have dairy products five days a week”.

Boris Johnson, who drove a 15-year-old diesel car before entering government, has been determined to lead the world in reducing carbon emissions and the UK has pledged to reach net zero by 2050.

In February, it was revealed that the PM has ordered Whitehall departments to look at how much greenhouse gas emissions produced by different sectors of the economy cost society.

He pondered new carbon taxes and charges for Britain that would see higher prices on meat and cheese at the supermarket and on gas for their hobs and boilers at home.

At present, only airlines and power generators are charged for their emissions, but ministers want to extend the ‘polluter pays’ principle to all sectors. This could lead to a hike in prices for goods such as beef, lamb and cheese, or more heavily polluting forms of heating such as gas.

No costs have been mooted by Whitehall, but recent studies by a team at Oxford University have calculated that surcharges of 40 per cent on beef, 25 per cent on oils, 20 per cent on milk, 15 per cent on lamb and 10 per cent on chicken would reduce emissions and reduce consumption in the way the PM wants.

This means that the cost of a sirloin steak, currently around £4.50 in the supermarket, would be around £6.30 and mince would rise £1.46 to £5.02. Olive oil would increase from £3.75 to £4.69.

Four pints of milk would go from £1.09 to £1.32, four lamb chops up to £7.50 from £6, six chicken breasts up 50p per pack to £5.50 while a whole chicken would increase in price by 28p to £3.78; Eggs would rise 5p to 94p and sugar would increase by a penny to 66p.

Reduced use of home heating

The CCC has suggested that new oil-fired boilers will have to be banned by 2028, and gas-fired boilers by 2033.

A previous report suggested that these measures to reduce household emissions by 2050 could cost as much as £10,000 per home.

This includes about £2,000 on insulation and £6,000 on installing alternatives to gas boilers, such as electric heat pumps.

PSI editor’s note: As mentioned elsewhere, heat pumps would require much larger radiators being fitted in homes, or you keep your existing radiators and live in much colder homes.

Hydrogen and heat pumps have both been touted as a low carbon emission alternative.

But issues with these heat sources have been highlighted by Dr Matt Lipson, the business lead at Energy Systems Catapult’s Consumer Insight.

He told BBC Radio 4: ‘The downside is there’s no (hydrogen) supplier at the moment, so if you want to do it this winter you might struggle.’

Dr Lipson added: ‘When we look at the costs nationally it seems the best option is a mix of solutions – there’s no silver bullet unfortunately. Obviously the price of a planet we can all live on isn’t free but I think it’s probably worth the bill. We have to take a nuanced approach and different choices for different places.‘

Dr Jonathan Marshall, head of analysis at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit said: ‘Calling time on gas boilers will represent a major step on the UK’s path to a carbon neutral nation and is a way for families up and down the country to take action on their carbon footprints.‘

There are also warnings about the volatile nature of hydrogen, which could result in explosions and leaks that are difficult to detect.

Boiler Guide states: ‘Because of its high energy content, hydrogen gas is a highly flammable and volatile substance which makes it a risky fuel to work with. Hydrogen is incredibly flammable which makes it a dangerous fuel if not handled correctly. There is also no smell to hydrogen so sensors are required to detect leaks.‘

Much reduced use of cars

The sale of new petrol and diesel cars, motorbikes and vans, including plug-in hybrids, will have to be phased out by the early 2030s, and even HGVs will start to shift to greener alternatives.

That will mean more electric vehicles and charging points, and people will also need to use their cars less, with more home working and more journeys on foot, bike or public transport – with buses and trains also going green.

‘Achieving decarbonisation of surface transport will require a sector-wide transition to vehicles that produce zero tailpipe emissions,’ the CCC has said.

It highlighted how cars account for 61% of ‘surface’ transport emissions, which covers roads, public transport and the rail network.

New petrol and diesel cars and vans are expected to no longer be sold by 2030.

And the committee has said hybrid cars, which are part-electric but still have an engine, should be included in this move from 2032.

The average cost of buying a new electric car in the UK is £44,000, according to industry figures, suggesting a heavy cost for consumers.  

Experts have also raised concerns about whether the UK can manufacture enough batteries to fit e-models.

Hugh Bladon, from the Alliance of British Drivers, said: ‘This would destroy the motor industry and make too expensive for the people who need to use cars to ever own one.’

Air travel will have to drastically reduce

A frequent flyer tax is being discussed, with an aim for flights from the UK to be cut by 15 per cent from 2018 levels in a ‘highly optimistic’ scenario for lowering emissions.

Meanwhile, the upward pressure on air fares caused by extra taxes could see prices return to levels not seen since the 1970s.

The CCC found aviation emissions accounted for 7% of UK greenhouse gas emissions in 2018 – an increase of 88% from 1990 levels.

But as the Covid pandemic grounded planes and stopped international travel, the report estimates the UK has seen a drop of at least 60% of greenhouse gas emissions from 2019.

It highlights that with pre-pandemic passenger levels not expected to return until 2024, the pandemic has presented an opportunity to examine ways to cut greenhouse gas emissions in the future.

Among the report’s suggestions to prevent the situation worsening, they warn there can be no increase in UK airport capacity unless any expansion – such as at Heathrow – is balanced by reductions in capacity elsewhere in the UK.

See more here: dailymail.co.uk

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