Our Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, recently announced more proportionate targets to get to net zero (https://www.conservatives.com/news/2023/delivering-net-zero). Looking after our environment is an important priority for Lee and for many residents across North East Derbyshire, and Lee reacted to this announcement with the following statement:
"It’s been pretty clear for some time that a reset was needed on net zero and, today, the Prime Minister did just that. As residents in North East Derbyshire know, I haven’t always agreed with my party on every issue. But, on this: I absolutely, completely, totally back him. He’s right.
Over the last couple of years, I’ve had the privilege of being able to work on some policy on green issues down in Westminster. There is no doubt that there is much opportunity here. We should absolutely want to leave our world in a better place than we found it and to clean up dirty and polluting processes. Yet it is also the case that some of the rhetoric and hyperbole from politicians, charities and special interests was getting far too ahead of the reality.
We should all want to tread lightly on the earth and to reduce our impact on the planet. But we cannot do it by making it impossible for people to live, work and build their lives.
Today’s reset was about re-confirming the overall goal of achieving net zero but, in the most obvious areas where the targets weren’t working, saying we need to look again and go at a different pace.
There will no longer be a hard deadline on electric vehicles of 2030. We won’t force everyone to immediately get a heat pump. We won’t require off-grid houses to give up their heat source without a clear or massively expensive alternative.
As I’ve said repeatedly, politics is about trade-offs and should be about honesty. The net zero debate has, for too long, being suspended in a lack of reality about the impact on ordinary people. I support getting to net zero. But we have to do it in a pragmatic way which works for everyone in North East Derbyshire."
What do you think of the adjustment of these targets to reach net zero? Let Lee know your views in the survey below: