IS THE MOTORIST MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE ENVIRONMENT ?

UK prime minister faces further pressure over his U-turn on net zero targets, after the head of the world’s energy watchdog said countries that water down green policies risked worsening the climate crisis and damaging their own economies. In its annual World Energy Outlook, the International Energy Agency (IEA) hailed the gathering pace of the worldwide transition to cleaner energy, forecasting for the first time that demand for oil, gas and coal would peak before the end of the decade. But the report called on governments not to derail progress by weakening climate measures, warning that effects such as wildfires and flooding meant that “no country is an island”. The UK prime minister caused consternation among environmental campaigners and the automotive sector alike when he announced measures that included a delay to the phasing out of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030. The prime minister – who has vowed to end the “war on motorists” – set a new target of 2035. Shrinking from climate action will send the wrong message to the world just at the moment when the power of our example can show that clean energy means lower bills for families, energy independence for our country, more jobs, and will protect future generations.” The IEA set out a range of scenarios affecting the projected global temperature increase by 2100. Under the policies in place, it predicted a rise of 2.4C above pre-industrial levels, resulting in “very widespread and severe” effects.