The unity hasn’t lasted. The target remains in place, but Prime Minister Rishi Sunak sees climate as a profitable political battle field in the run-up to an election polls show he’s likely to lose. His government has opposed the expansion of a low-pollution zone in Labour-controlled London and issued 100 new oil and gas exploration licenses, something opposition leader Keir Starmer has promised to halt.
Parts of the EU’s so-called Green Deal have opposition from member states, notably France, which opposed stricter exhaust emissions rules, and Germany, which almost stopped a ban on combustion engines. Other leaders like Belgium’s Prime Minister Alexander De Croo have urged caution over the impact that the fast pace of policies to reduce carbon emissions will have on industry. Dutch politics has been shaken by opposition to plans to curb emissions from its farms.
Germany has now watered down its ban on new fossil-fuel heating systems, which could have made a significant contribution to cutting emissions in the housing sector. The government also rolled back its district heating goals after heavy lobbying from utilities. His new Energy Secretary Claire Coutinho will also have to decide whether to approve a controversial new oil field off the Shetland Islands, Rosebank, and if she wants to push-ahead with plans for the opening of a new coal mine in Cumbria, despite ongoing legal challenges and protests. The government approved plans for what will be the first major coal mine in decades late last year.