Britons Told To ‘Cycle More, Eat Less Meat’ To Hit Net Zero Targets

Britons will have to cycle more and eat less meat to hit the Government’s new Net Zero targets, the Climate Change Committee predicts. [some emphasis, links added]

Flying will fall, it forecasts, and the installation of heat pumps will have to increase massively, with MPs saying Net Zero will “become more visible in everyday life”.

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband announced that the Government has signed up to a legal target to cut the UK’s planet-heating emissions by 87 percent by 2040.

The reduction in greenhouse gases from 1990 levels – on the way to hitting Net Zero by 2050 – is in line with official advice from the independent Climate Change Committee (CCC) on deliverable and cost-effective cuts.

The seventh ‘Carbon Budget’ sets out how many emissions the country is legally allowed between 2038 and 2042.

But MPs have warned that the “low-hanging fruit” of decarbonization, such as ensuring electricity is generated through clean power, has already been reaped.

The Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) – a parliamentary body – delivered a report in March about the impact of CB7.

It found the target was “technically credible”. But it warned:

“The ‘low-hanging fruit’ of decarbonization has largely been exhausted, and delivery will now depend far more on complex system change across homes, transport, industry and everyday behaviour.”

In its Carbon Budget paper, the CCC outlined some of the expected changes.

“The transition involves less meat and dairy in the average UK diet, to reduce UK livestock numbers and free up land for measures such as woodland creation, while not increasing imports of meat and dairy,” it states.

It adds:

“By 2040, our Balanced Pathway sees people make some shifts towards lower-carbon choices.

“Better infrastructure enables more people to choose public transport, cycling, or walking, instead of driving, bringing the UK closer in line with countries such as Germany, Switzerland, and the Netherlands.

“A continuation of existing trends, together with greater choice and availability of plant-based foods, sees a reduction in meat (especially beef and lamb) and dairy consumption, within overall healthier diets.”

It anticipates that flying will decrease as costs rise. It says:

“With the aviation sector bearing the costs of meeting Net Zero for flying, demand growth is lower than in the baseline of no further decarbonization action.”

The Government’s commitment to the emissions target comes amid increasing political division over climate action, with Reform UK and the Tories promising to ditch net zero policies and back oil and gas drilling.

Mr. Miliband said the drive for clean homegrown power was the “only way” to protect family and business finances, as he accused opponents of sticking their heads in the sand about climate breakdown and its impact on future generations.

The CCC claims families could save hundreds of pounds a year by mid-century in the shift away from fossil fuels. …

But his Tory counterpart, Claire Coutinho, said:

“The fact that in the dying days of this Labour government they will attempt to force through a new Net Zero target that will make us weaker, poorer and send everyone’s energy bills even higher shows that they are not putting the national interest first.

“We have had a former Prime Minister and current leadership contender say we need to look again at what our Net Zero targets are doing to the economy and we need to drill in the North Sea.

“The best thing for our economy, for growth, and for cutting emissions is to make electricity cheap.”

Top: MPs grill Ed Miliband on net zero, energy security, and North Sea oil drilling in the House of Commons. Screencap.

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