Net Zero stems from the scientific idea that at the current rates of global CO2 emissions, temperatures will not stop rising. Net Zero believes that to prevent global temperatures rising beyond society’s means to adapt to them, greenhouse-gas emissions will need to be reduced.
Sounds like a sensible plan. But as with everything nowadays the idea doesn’t meet the implementation. A date has been sent for when the UK must meet Net Zero, 2050. This is despite the fact that the UK does not yet have the technology or the means or even the money to achieve Net Zero.
The UK struggles to build an airport runway, it fails to sort out its roads, and it has spent the last sixty years relying heavily on the City of London to prevent it from becoming a third world economy. And yet for some reason, we are expected to believe that we will be able to reach Net Zero by 2050?
Forgive me for my scepticism.
And forgive me for not thinking that achieving Net Zero should be a priority.
After all, the push to achieve Net Zero has restricted our energy supplies. Our ongoing moratorium on fracking for shale gas alongside attempts to prevent a new coal mine to open in Cumbria combined with a continued demand for use of unpredictable wind turbines has hindered our attempts to become energy independent from Russia.
As the energy crisis has worsened and spiralled into a cost of living crisis, the insane demand to meet Net Zero has driven up energy costs, and has exposed the folly of heat pumps as well. With the sheer cost of installing the pumps being far beyond the means that many people have at their disposal currently.
This evidence would suggest that we should be focusing on becoming energy sufficient and independent. If we have the resources to achieve this then we should be pursuing them relentlessly. After all as Covid showed, one cannot be a truly sovereign country if one is completely reliant on others for everything.
And yet, this seems to have escaped the politicians in charge.
The UK’s Net Zero Czar who is due to be departing his role is unimpressed with the progress the government has made on Net Zero. As if forgetting that there are other more pressing matters at this point, including the shit state of the economy, the fact that Net Zero could well fuck over most people in the UK and the fact that unless we become energy independent, we are going to be a puppet of the US or Russia soon enough.
Of course, this doesn’t matter to the man, given he, like many people in Whitehall, seem obsessed with how the UK is perceived and any possible damage to the UK’s supposed reputation as a climate leader. Forget that the UK’s reputation will mean nothing if we can’t sort out our numerous issues, we can’t let the world know how bad things are of course. Reputation and image are more important than actually solving the issues that have been festering.
In conclusion, should we be aiming to become more environmentally friendly to combat climate change? Yes. Should we be doing the insanity of Net Zero when we can’t afford to, and are not energy self-sufficient? Not unless we want a death wish.
Net Zero should not be a priority, energy self sufficiency should be. Maybe one day Whitehall will realise this.
Vivek Rajkhowa 
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