Joe GallopThe recently rebranded A Greener Future (AGF) said the Government’s new Net Zero Strategy is “hugely disappointing” as it lacks a clear focus on investing in renewable energy and eliminating fossil fuel use.
The strategy, which has faced criticism from several environmental groups, was drawn up last week after the High Court ruled that the Government existing plans were not sufficient to meet its climate targets.
AGF, which helps events cut their environmental impact through consultancy and research, announced its rebrand at last month’s GEI Conference in London, following 17 years as A Greener Festival.
AGF director Teresa Moore said, “The irony is not lost in the fact that the Government’s last minute production of the strategy that they have been forced to revise displays a continued lack of urgency about climate change when the science repeatedly tells us that time is running out.
“Whilst A Greener Future welcomes the focus on carbon removal from the atmosphere we worry that this will simply justify increased use of fossil fuels from the new investment and exploration set out in the strategy.
“Short term thinking in the last two decades by successive governments relying on external sources of fossil fuel energy rather than long term investment in renewables is the real reason behind the UK’s lack of energy security today. There’s a sense that we are once again kicking the can down the road without making the investment needed to completely transform our energy industry and eliminate fossil fuel use once and for all.
“The strategy covers 1,000 pages and will need detailed analysis to fully understand the revised measures to hit the 2050 net zero targets but on the surface, it looks to be hugely disappointing.”