EMEA News
UK Set to Row Back on Decarbonisation Targets
The UK government is set to announce a rowing-back on its previously announced decarbonisation policy targets later this week.
The government is considering announcing a delay in its target of banning the sales of new gasoline-fuelled cars from 2030 to 2035, as well as weakening its intention to phase out new gas heating system sales by 2035, the BBC reported late on Tuesday.
The two policies are key flanks of the UK's decarbonisation strategy, and their weakening could signal a loss of confidence in the government's 2050 net-zero target ahead of a likely election next year.
No change in the 2050 target itself is likely to emerge. But much of the politically difficult work needed to meet that target will need to be done over the next decade, and the government concluding that that work is becoming too difficult to sell to the public in election years may signal a change in the debate.
The British government has been one of the bigger cheerleaders for decarbonisation on the global stage, including at the IMO.
The UK intends to add domestic shipping to its emissions trading system from 2026. No change in this policy has been announced or hinted at, but a strengthening of the target to include international shipping would now appear unlikely in the short term.
