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UK consults on reducing EV sales targets amid wildfire-linked climate fears
The government is considering cutting the 2030 new-EV target to as low as 50% of new cars, with the change projected to raise annual UK CO2 emissions by millions of tonnes.
The UK government has launched a consultation on reducing the target for new electric vehicles, a move criticized as the country faces devastating wildfires tied to the climate emergency, according to the Guardian Business.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham acknowledged on Friday that the climate crisis is behind hundreds of wildfires that have spread across parts of the UK. The government also brought in the military, banned the sale of disposable barbecues, and activated a national alert system for safety advice across England and Wales in areas at risk on Friday night.
At the same time, proposals unveiled Friday would cut the target for new EVs to as little as 50% of all new cars in 2030, down from 80% under existing rules. The consultation includes options to keep the headline target unchanged or reduce it to 70%, 60%, or 50%, with the government saying the approach could add millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions each year.
In a video from the West Midlands, where homes have been destroyed and dozens of people have been injured, Burnham said the situation cannot be accepted as the new normal and described drought, extreme heat, failing crops, and hundreds of wildfires as examples of what climate change looks like. The Guardian Business also reported that Burnham was accused of not taking net zero seriously enough given the EV-target rollback steps.